Govt school principal removed over sexual harassment charges

A retired Air Force officer heading a government school in Punjab's Sangrur district was removed from the post of principal after being indicted of charges of sexual harassment of two Class 12 girls, according to an official release.
The chief minister had directed the Sangrur deputy commissioner to investigate the charges against retired Wing Commander C Deepak Dogra, principal, Government Meritorious School, Ghabdan, the state government release said.
He was indicted of the charges in a report submitted to the Chief Minister's Office recently, it said.
"In his report, the deputy commissioner found evidence to support the sexual harassment allegations levelled against the principal by two Class 12 girls," the release said here.

Following the submission of the report and acting on the chief minister's directive, the Society for Promotion of Quality Education for Poor and Meritorious Students of Punjab has divested Dogra of the charge of principal with immediate effect, it said.
"He has been asked to hand over the charge to the school's vice principal Deepika Rani and report to the office of the project director of the Society for Promotion of Quality Education for Poor and Meritorious Students," the release said.
The principal has been booked under section 354 A (sexual harassment) of the Indian Penal Code, and under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), the release said.