Molest charge on priest

TT; NIRMAL MANGAR Gangtok, Aug. 22: The Sikkim State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has lodged an FIR against a temple priest for allegedly molesting an 11-year-old boy in the East district. According to the complaint lodged with the Sadar police station in Gangtok on Saturday, the incident happened on the evening of August 9 during Janmasthami celebrations.

 The Class V student had gone to the temple to see the celebrations when priest A.J. Pathak, 54, a resident of Bihar, allegedly called him inside saying he would give the child sweets. The priest then allegedly molested the boy. The temple is on the General Reserve Engineer Force’s compound in East Sikkim, 6km from Gangtok. The GREF functions under the Border Roads Organisation and looks after road construction across the state.

 The boy did not tell anyone about the incident till August 18, when he told his sister. When child’s parents heard about the incident, they first spoke to the principal of the child’s school. Later, the parents and the school authorities lodged complaints with the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

 “We received complaints from the boy’s parents as well as the principal of the child’s school on August 18. The boy was brought before the commission and during counselling, he narrated the incident to officials,” said the chairperson of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Manita Pradhan. Pradhan lodged an FIR against the GREF-appointed priest the same day.

 “The accused person is on leave and he has gone to his home in Bihar. We have requested BRO commandant Col. M.N. Reddy (in charge of the NEFR campus) to call him back immediately and take action against him,” said Pradhan. Officials said a case under Section 377 (unnatural offence) of the IPC has been started against Pathak. According to Doma Bhutia, a senior lawyer in Gangtok, if the priest is convicted under the section, he may be imprisoned for up to 10 years or fined or both.