Mumbai: The Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MSCPCR) has issued formal notices concerning a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act involving a school employee in Chembur.

The notices have been directed to Sandeep Sangave, Education Inspector (Mumbai Division), Somnath Gharge, Superintendent of Police (Raigad), and the Chembur school itself, instructing them to provide a comprehensive report within seven days.

This development follows concerns over inaction regarding a complaint filed five months ago under the POCSO Act. The complaint alleged that Mohan Anchan, a laboratory assistant at the Chembur school, had assaulted a minor during a school excursion. Despite the serious nature of the allegations, no action was taken against Anchan, which led to his successful application for anticipatory bail.

As reported by this newspaper on Sunday, Anchan was also reinstated at the school in January 2025, merely three months after an FIR was lodged in September 2024. When the victim sought an explanation for this decision, the school principal avoided providing a clear response and allegedly forbade her from further contact with the institution.

The victim made several attempts to reach the school following Anchan’s reinstatement, urging them to suspend him, but her appeals were met with silence.

Repeated efforts to obtain a response from the school principal also proved fruitless, as she failed to return multiple calls from the Free Press Journal.

Education rights activist and president of the Mumbai parents-teachers association, Nitin Dalvi, has strongly condemned the authorities' handling of the case. He criticised the lack of action, stating, "Shielding a school in such a serious case is not just a dereliction of duty but an act of inhumanity.”

Dalvi also demanded the immediate arrest of both the accused and the school principal for their alleged attempts to suppress the case. He also called for the dismissal of the principal and the suspension of the police officers responsible for the delay in Anchan’s arrest.