The police have arrested a teacher for attempting to rape an 11-year-old schoolgirl in the classroom in Karnataka's Kalaburagi district, said officials on Wednesday.
The incident was reported from a government school located in the limits of Nimbarga police station in Aland taluk of the district.
According to police, the victim was studying in Class 5 in the school. The accused attacked her when the girl had gone to the classroom after having a midday meal on Tuesday. The girl was alone in the classroom at the time of the assault.
The accused threatened her not to make noise and attempted to rape her. However, when the girl resisted and started screaming for help, the accused teacher fled from the school premises. The victim went to her home and informed her parents about the incident, the officials said.
The parents first questioned the headmaster about the incident and then filed a complaint with the police.
The Nimbarga police launched a hunt for the accused teacher and later arrested him.
The police have registered the case under the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and other sections under the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS).
The latest case has increased the concerns of the people in the district which has seen a rise in the POCSO cases.
The data showed that the cases of rape against minors have increased by three times those of cases reported on women in the district in the past three years, according to police sources.
The incident of gang rape of a 13-year-old girl reported in June had triggered protests and roadblocks in the region. The victim was found to be eight months pregnant during the treatment. Later, she died in the hospital of multi-organ failure. The girl was allegedly raped by the accused for several months.
The Kalaburgi district is the native of Congress national President Mallikarjun Kharge and his son, Minister for RDPR, IT and BT Priyank Kharge is also the in-charge district minister. Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil also hails from Kalaburagi district.
The incident also comes days after the rape and murder of a doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College shook the nation.
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