School principal arrested for sexually harassing female students

RAHIM YAR KHAN: Police on Wednesday arrested a school principal for sexually harassing female students here in Rahim Yar Khan city of Punjab, ARY News reported.

According to police, the arrest was made after a seventh grade student along with her parents registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the principal Sajid Ilyas accusing him of sexually harassing her and other female students.

“He (the principal) used to call me and two other girls in his office daily for about three, four weeks and sexually harass us. He used to threaten us of dire consequences if we tell our parents or anyone else,” the girl told the police.

As Sajid Ilyas was arrested, a large number of people including parents of students staged a protest and demanded strict punishment for the accused.

“This girl (the complainant) had the courage to speak up against him but what about the other girls before her who were silenced through threats,” asked a protester.

Another protester claimed that the principal destroyed his computer and the hard drive when the police reached his office to arrest him.

School teacher arrested for sexually abusing, blackmailing children in Okara

This is not the first time a person of authority or respect is accused of such a heinous offence. In February, a school teacher in Okara was arrested for sexually abusing and filming young students.

Earlier, this year, the country was shaken by the rape and murder of seven-year-old Zainab Ansari in Kasur.

Kidnapped on January 4 and found from a garbage heap on January 9, Zainab’s autopsy report suggested that the minor was sexually assaulted before being strangulated to death.

The culprit named Imran Arshad was arrested on January 23 after a DNA test proved that he was behind the rape and murder of Zainab and at least eight other girls in the city.