Malda, July 27: A Christian missionary teaching in a private English medium school was arrested today on the charge of molesting a Class VI student.

Guardians beat up the priest, who joined the school two days ago, before police rescued him.

He has denied the allegation, saying: “I sometimes kiss children on the forehead but have no bad intentions.”

Bleeding from the nose, he added before getting into the police van: “People seemed to have read more into an affectionate kiss. Now I feel I should not have done it.”

The 12-year-old girl said she was caught unawares while coming out of the toilet when the priest kissed her.

She went home around 9 am, when the primary section gets over, and complained to her parents. In no time, almost 500 people arrived at the co-educational school, baying for the priest’s blood.

They alleged that the school authorities had tried to help the man escape through the back door. “If he is innocent, why was he trying to flee?” asked a parent.

Under pressure from the crowd, the school handed the priest over to the police.

The missionary had allegedly kissed three girls yesterday. Many guardians claimed that their children had been sexually harassed in school for some time.

“My daughter often said she had seen condoms lying in the girls’ toilet. Some of her classmates received obscene SMSes. We did not attach much importance to it. But what happened today is unthinkable,” said a woman.

She, however, did not respond when The Telegraph pointed out that the accused had joined the institution only two days ago.

The principal denied the allegations of regular sexual harassment. “What happened today is an isolated incident. We have handed him over to the police. But I still insist that the priest was just being affectionate,” he said.

“We have received several complaints against the school. An inquiry has been started,” an officer of Englishbazar police station said.