Bhadrak (Odisha), March 7 Odisha Police on Saturday rescued a girl from a central government-run residential school in the Bhadrak district after she ran away following alleged sexual harassment by a teacher, officials said.
The Class 7 student reportedly escaped by climbing the school's boundary wall and taking shelter in the house of an elderly woman in a nearby village within the Kasia marine police station limits.
She sustained bruises on her hands and legs while climbing the wall, locals said, demanding strict action against the accused teacher.
The girl was provided with necessary medical assistance, police said.
Kasia marine police station in-charge Kunu Besra said the accused teacher, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, was detained after the girl's father lodged a written complaint.
According to the FIR, the teacher allegedly sexually harassed the girl on January 30 and attempted to drag her hand on Friday night. Later that night, the girl fled the residential school by climbing the boundary wall.
Police said the girl, visibly shaken, recounted the incident to the elderly woman, who informed other villagers and contacted the girl's father early Saturday morning.
Police also said that the teacher lives on the same campus.
The school is a central government-run, fully residential, co-educational institution affiliated with CBSE (Class 6-12), which offers free education, boarding, and lodging to meritorious students from rural areas.