Nashik: A case has been registered against the owner of a private school in Maharashtra's Nashik district for allegedly forcing girl students, including some students from tribal communities, dance in front of tourists.
The incidents allegedly took place at the English-medium school run by Sarvahara Parivartan Kendra at Pahine village in Trimbakeshwar taluka between May 31 and June 14.
No arrest has been made in the case yet. A team from the state tribal commissioner's office visited the school on Tuesday and started an inquiry, officials said. The school has a hostel attached to it. The owner of the institute also runs a resort, an official of Wadhiware police station said.
As per the complaint lodged by one of the parents, his 13-year-old daughter who studies in Class 7 called him on June 14 and told him that she and some of her friends were asked to dance for tourists visiting the resort.
If they refused, a woman teacher beat them with a stick, the girl told her father. After receiving the complaint, Wadhiware police registered a case under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act against the school owner and the woman teacher on June 18.
Further probe was on, the official said. Bhagwan Madhe, a local activist, claimed that the girls were asked to return to the hostel on May 31 even though the summer vacations were not yet over.
The owner had organised a `Kajwa Mahotsav' (firefly sighting festival) which attracted about 400 to 500 tourists to the resort and the girls were asked to dance for them, he alleged.
He has petitioned the state tribal commissioner to transfer these students to government-run institutions, he added.
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