The head teacher of a government school in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao district has been accused of allegedly sexually harassing female students. An FIR has been registered against him, police said.

According to the police officials, the alleged incident came to light after one of the girls reached out to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and also wrote a complaint on the Prime Minister of India’s website. NCPCR member Preeti Bharadwaj Dalal met the students on Saturday, November 25, and spoke to them, as per a report by IANS.

At least 18 girls confirmed that head teacher Rajesh Kumar sexually harassed them. The children added that the teacher bribed them with candies to indulge in improper acts. However, Dalal did not speak to the media on the matter.

Meanwhile, Kotwali Station House Officer (SHO) Pramod Mishra said that the FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint by a woman cook, who said that the girls had informed her about the harassment. “The cook said she had informed another teacher about the alleged harassment,” he added.

“On the basis of the complaint by the school cook, an FIR was registered against Kumar under provisions of the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Efforts are on to trace Kumar who is absconding,” Mishra said further.

There was no reaction from the school officials over the matter, as per IANS.