Baripada: Thakurmunda police arrested Tuesday the headmaster of a Sevashram school in Mayurbhanj district on charge of raping a female cook, officials said. The accused headmaster has been identified as Bishnu Charan Senapati. Police conducted a medical examination on the accused and the survivor before producing the former in court. A case was registered in this connection and further investigations are on.
The incident sparked tension among the cooks working in various Sevashram schools. Demanding the dismissal of Senapati and protection of female cooks working in various schools, the members of the district Cooks’ Association Tuesday staged a sit-in outside the office of district welfare officer at Baripada.
Saraskana MLA Budhan Murmu reached the spot and tried to placate the agitating cooks. They relented after the DWO Sunaram Singh said that a probe is underway in the case while the accused has been produced in court.
According to the complaints, Senapati allegedly harassed the cook sexually for over a month. He threatened to oust her from the job in case she disclosed the matter to others.
However, the victim lodged a complaint with the district collector and police in this connection. Acting on the complaint, Thakurmunda police registered a case and arrested Senapati.