Kolkata, July 13 (IANS) Kolkata Police have arrested a martial arts teacher for allegedly sexually harassing minor students during training classes, said a senior officer on Monday.

Police said that the name of the arrested teacher is Prosenjit Das. He was arrested on Saturday based on a complaint lodged by one of his students. He has been booked under relevant Sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.

According to the police, he worked as a treasurer in an NGO hostel in the Survey Park area of ​​south Kolkata.

He also taught martial arts to the minor girls residing in the hostel. Basically, the minor girls who did not live with their parents or who had no parents, studied in the NGO hostel.

The NGO encouraged them to take part in sports. That is why, along with working as a treasurer, Prosenjit also had to teach karate and kung fu to the children.

It is alleged that he used to touch the minor girls in various ways in the name of teaching martial arts. Although many felt uncomfortable about it, they did not have the courage to speak out against the teacher.

Further, it is alleged that the accused used to call some of them to a secluded place inside the hostel in the name of teaching them separately and sexually abuse them.

After the separation of her parents, a minor girl from Rabindra Sarobar area in south Kolkata, was residing at the hostel in Survey Park. There, like the others, she started learning martial arts from Prosenjit.

The minor alleged that the teacher had been sexually abusing her for several months in the hostel. She tried to avoid the accused but to no avail. The teacher would intimidate and threaten the girl and take her to a secluded place on the pretext of taking a separate class. There, she would be sexually abused continuously.

The police further said that after enduring the sexual abuse for several months, she started suffering from panic attacks. Another teacher in the hostel noticed this. He sympathetically asked the girl about the reason. Then she broke down and told the teacher everything.

After talking to the authorities, the teacher directly complained to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC). Upon receiving the complaint, members of the committee visited the hostel and investigated. After talking to the minor, the CWC arranged for her to be kept in the home.

Initially, a complaint was filed against the martial arts teacher at Rabindra Sarobar Police Station on behalf of the minor.

Since the incident took place in the Survey Park Police Station area, Rabindra Sarobar Police Station filed a zero FIR and sent the complaint to the Survey Park Police Station.

After investigation, the police arrested the martial arts teacher, Prosenjit Das on Saturday. The police said that they are interrogating him and trying to find out how many minors he has sexually abused in the past.

–IANS

sch/rad