Teacher arrested for rape, abuse of 5 KG girls in classroom

Rajkot: A 55-year-old primary school teacher in Upleta taluka was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly sexually abusing at least five girls, Senior KG students, inside a classroom — on charges including rape and aggravated penetrative sexual assault.The accused, Devanand Bera, is physically disabled and uses crutches. He had been teaching at the school for three years.The matter came to light when one of the young students told her parents about inappropriate touching, prompting them to alert school authorities. Further inquiries indicated that multiple children had been targeted.On the Monday night, the mother of one of the victims filed a complaint at Patanvav police station under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 75(2), 351(2) and 64(2) (rape), along with Sections 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault), 8 and 10 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.Police sources said Bera had allegedly been engaging in sexually inappropriate behaviour, molesting and violating the girls starting from June 28, 2025, till May 2, 2026.The investigating officer, Y M Gohil, said statements of the victims’ parents have been recorded and medical examinations of both the accused and victims have been completed.“Preliminary findings revealed a lack of security infrastructure at the facility, as no CCTV cameras were installed. The victims’ statements will be recorded before a magistrate under Section 183 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita,” said Vijay Singh Gurjar, superintendent of police, Rajkot Rural.District primary education officer Dixit Patel said his office received an email about the police complaint on Tuesday, after which the taluka primary education officer was directed to begin a formal inquiry. Bera has been suspended with immediate effect.