Music teacher booked for molesting minor girl for three years

This picture has been used for representation purpose

The Oshiwara police booked a 55-year-old music teacher on Thursday for allegedly molesting one of his minor students for three years. The incident took place between 2007 to 2010, when the victim was learning to play the guitar from the accused, a Mumbai Mirror report read. The victim's mother, who is the complainant in the case, said the accused assaulted her daughter by inserting a pencil, pen or a plastic bottle in her private parts. He showed the minor obscene photos, spoke to her in a lewd manner threatened her to remain silent about it, the report added.

The woman, who is 22 years old now, was nine when the molestation began. "Since the POSCO act came into force in 2012, the accused has only been charged under Section 354 (molestation), 509 (insulting modesty of a women) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code," Dayanand Bander, senior inspector, Oshiwara Police station, was quoted as saying in the report.

The woman's mother, in the statement, said the accused would come home to give private tuitions to his daughter and took the lessons in the drawing room. When she stepped out, she would leave her daughter to the care of the househelp. The report said that the mother noticed her daughter getting irritated on days of music lessons, while she was cheerful on the rest of the days.

This led the woman's parents thinking that she was not interested to play the instrument. The woman thought of sharing the incident with her mother after she received sex education in a new school she joined. She tried to explain the incident, but could not open up completely, her parents took her to various councellors and during these sessions, she opened up about the assault.

The accused, who denied the allegations, now conducts his music classes in Goregaon.

Refuting the allegations he was quoted in the report as saying, " "How is this possible? I am over 55 years old. I have taught so many students. I am still teaching. I have so many children and people still come to me. In 2007, I had spondylitis. If this is something that happened in 2007 then why is there a case now? I have taught so many minors. Why would I do that?"

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