Police in Siliguri arrested a fourth-grade employee of a school in the city for molesting a minor girl on Tuesday.

The co-educational primary school is run by a religious trustee board.

Sources said that when the Class III girl had gone to the washroom on Monday, a member of the cleaning staff had molested her.

On Tuesday morning, a group of guardians reached the school and resorted to protests. “The school authorities learned about the incident yesterday (on Monday) and tried to hush up the issue. That is why they didn’t file any complaint with the police or take any steps against the accused employee,” said a guardian who joined
the protests.

As the demonstration continued, the school authorities informed the police, and soon, a team reached the spot from the local police station.

The police apprehended the accused employee, and while they were bringing him out, a section of the guardians tried to beat him up.

The policemen somehow put him in a vehicle and whisked him away to the police station. Later, the school authorities filed a complaint, and he was arrested.

“We wanted him to come to the school today so that he doesn’t escape… We planned to hand him over to the police once he reached the school and handed him to the police,” said the headmaster.

The agitating guardians, on the other hand, said they had filed a complaint with the police against the headmaster, sources said.

In the course of the demonstration, the local councillor also reached the school. She, too, was critical of the school.

“Although the incident occurred yesterday (on Monday), the headmaster made a mistake by not making an immediate complaint against it at the police station. Once I reached the school, I called the victim’s parents, and in my presence, the authority and the family members separately filed a complaint against the person,” she said.

The police have registered a case. The investigation has started.