Warden of govt girls' hostel booked for touching students inappropriately

Barwani: A warden of a govt girls' hostel in Barwani district was booked after several girl students complained that they had been inappropriately touched by her on several occasions.
Barwani Superintendent of Police Jagdish Dabar told TOI that a case was registered against 30-year-old Preeti Rathore, warden of a govt hostel in Palsud, under various sections of BNS and POCSO Act.
He said that the parents of the girls came to Palsud police station late Saturday night and complained about videos being made of the girl students and they being inappropriately touched while changing clothes.
The SP said that district collector sent a three-member team to inquire into the matter. Based on the inquiry report, a case was registered against the warden Preeti Rathore on complaint application of district education officer Sheela Chauhan.
According to the FIR, a girl student complained that the warden had asked her to go to govt hostel in Sali Tanda village in April 2023. When the student went there with her grandfather, she met block education officer who made her grandfather stand outside and touched her inappropriately on the pretext of showing her the hostel. The officer even sent a message on her mobile phone asking her not to tell anyone about the incident. The student also stated in the complaint that on another occasion, the warden called her to sleep with her and touched her indecently.
Another student complained that on Jan 29 during farewell function of class 12 students, when she went to ask for help for wearing a saree, the warden touched her inappropriately. The warden also turned on the camera of her mobile phone and possibly made a video of it, the girl student added.
One more student filed a complaint that on the farewell day on Jan 29, when she went to fix her saree, the warden called her inside a room, made her remove her clothes, and touched her inappropriately.
Police station in-charge Sher Singh Baghel told TOI that the warden's mobile phone has been seized and a cyber team was working on it to open its lock and access the data.
The SP said that programs were being run across the district to create awareness about inappropriate touch among the students.