Police in Sopore, Jammu and Kashmir, took action by arresting 25 individuals who were attempting to disrupt peace following the suspension of a teacher accused of harassing a girl student. The arrested miscreants were trying to create disturbances in the town, according to the police. The teacher has been charged under the law, and an investigation is underway, with the director of school education also initiating a departmental inquiry.
All educational activities in certain institutions in Sopore have been halted until April 28 due to the sensitive law and order situation in the town. The Senior Superintendent of Police in Sopore, Iftikhar Talib, confirmed the booking of the teacher and the launch of an investigation in response to the student’s complaint. A Joint Director of Education has been appointed to conduct a swift inquiry and submit a report within 15 days.
In response to the allegations, students staged a protest in Sopore demanding severe action against the accused lecturer. The Additional Deputy Commissioner of Sopore, S.A. Raina, announced the suspension of academic activities at several educational institutions from April 15 to April 18 as a precautionary measure to maintain peace amid the protests over harassment claims.
Sopore, known as the apple town of Kashmir, has a history of being a hotspot for separatist activities but has been relatively peaceful since the revocation of Article 370 in 2019. Due to its law and order sensitivity, Sopore was designated as a separate police district in North Kashmir in 2010 to better manage security and counter militancy, despite being geographically part of the Baramulla district.
