Teacher claims peon has been molesting her at principal's behest

A teacher in a Malad-based school has registered an FIR against a peon of the institution, alleging sexual harassment and molestation. The teacher alleged that peon a 27-year-old man named Datta Pagde winks at her, hugs her forcibly and clicks pictures of her whenever she goes to the toilet. The 58-year-old woman has been teaching music at Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Vidyalaya in Malad (West) for 18 years.

The complainant has been teaching music at Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Vidyalaya in Malad (West) for 18 years and claims that she is paid as much as peons are in the school. Pic/Nimesh Dave

The FIR was registered against Pagde at the Malad police station on Monday. "Pagde would wink at me and take photographs of me while I walked in classrooms, passages or went to the toilet. Once, he even hugged me. I informed the school management but they did nothing. Finally, I registered an FIR at the police station," said the victim.

"We have registered an FIR under Section 509 of the IPC against the peon. The matter is under investigation," confirmed Avinash Jadhav, senior inspector of Malad police station. The teacher alleged that the peon has been harassing her at the behest of school's supervisor and principal.

She alleged that though she has been serving the school for 18 years, the management pays her a salary of Rs 15,000 instead of the Rs 30,000 that she is owed and that her salary is equal to that of peons in the school. She claimed that the management has a grouse against her ever since she filed a petition in High Court demanding a hike in her remuneration. She added that they have often asked her to resign.

"The management is trying to disturb me through the peon. The peon even threatened that he would upload my pictures on Facebook," said the teacher. "It is true that the teacher has registered an FIR against the peon. But the allegations are false," said Vikram Patel, trustee of school.u00a0