Kendrapara, February 22 Five teachers from a private school have been arrested in Odisha's Kendrapara district for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl, police said.
The arrests were made on Saturday after the father of the Class-7 student and the district child welfare committee filed separate complaints at the Rajkanika police station, alleging that the accused teachers had sexually assaulted the minor, a senior officer said.
The parents approached the district child welfare committee after their daughter accused the teachers of sexually abusing her for a long period, he said.
The committee initially investigated the allegation and brought the matter to the police, the officer said.
"A complaint was filed on February 18. After a 48-hour investigation, we referred the case to the police for legal action," said Swagatika Patra, a member of the child welfare committee.
The panel also directed the district education officer to conduct a separate investigation into the allegation, she said.
"The accused teachers were arrested based on preliminary investigation. Further investigation is underway," said Rajkanika police station inspector-in-charge Sanjay Mallick.
Meanwhile, the opposition BJD submitted a memorandum to the Kendrapara SP demanding stringent punishment for the perpetrators.
