BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh police have booked superintendents/wardens of government girls’ hostels in Barwani district and Khargone district for allegedly harassing female students within hostel premises. In Barwani, the hostel warden was accused of allegedly molesting and sexually harassing Class XII female students. In Khargone, the hostel warden was suspended for allegedly forcing female students (of up to Class V) to clean toilets, perform Christian religious prayers and read Bible.In Pulsood area of Barwani district, the warden Preeti Rathod was booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, on Sunday.The FIR was lodged against the warden after the Barwani district education officer filed a complaint based on the statements of three Class XII students, all from tribal communities.The girls alleged that the warden had inappropriately touched them on several occasions between 2023 and 2025, adding that the warden had misbehaved with the girls while dressing for their farewell function in January.One student alleged that the warden had recorded her touching the girl on her cell phone. Another student alleged that apart from the female warden, a male official from the education department had also recently sexually harassed the student in the hostel and asked her to accompany her to Indore for two days.While confirming the lodging of the FIR against the hostel superintendent/warden woman, the Pulsood police station in-charge Sher Singh Bhuria said, “The superintendent’s cell-phone (with which the videos of the girls were recorded) has been seized. Also, during the course of investigations, if the name of any other person (government official) crops up, then that individual too won’t be spared.”
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