6 Detained Under PSA After Sopore Protests on Harassment Claim

Six individuals have been detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA) in connection with protests and acts of vandalism that erupted after a teenage girl student alleged sexual harassment by a teacher at a government higher secondary school in Sopore.  The detainees were reportedly involved in stone‑pelting, damaging public property, and fuelling “law and order” disturbances during demonstrations held outside the school and in nearby market areas. 

Students and local residents initially took to the streets after the girl’s family filed a formal complaint, accusing the male lecturer of inappropriate behaviour towards the student inside the school premises. The administration swiftly suspended the teacher and ordered a departmental inquiry, while police opened a criminal case to investigate the allegations in line with the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) and other relevant provisions. The swift suspension was presented as an immediate step to signal zero tolerance for such misconduct and to reassure the community.

As the protests gathered momentum, Sopore police said “outsiders” joined the crowd and instigated violence, leading to the breaking of streetlights, vehicles, and other public infrastructure. In response, security forces used tear‑gas shells and deployed additional personnel to restore order, after which six men were identified and booked under the PSA for “vandalism, public disorder, and attempts to incite unrest.” Those detained have been shifted to Bhadarwah jail, where they are expected to remain pending further legal proceedings.

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The incident has reignited debate over campus safety and oversight of teaching staff in state schools, particularly in areas that have seen periodic unrest. Local activists and parents have called for stricter verification of credentials, regular counselling mechanisms for students, and faster, transparent inquiries when allegations arise. Education officials, meanwhile, say they are reviewing existing safeguards and plan to hold sensitisation workshops for teachers and school‑management committees across the district.

Separately, authorities have also cracked down on repeat vandalism linked to earlier rounds of student agitation, arresting over a dozen individuals in related cases over the past week. Police say they are tracking the role of social‑media triggers and external actors in amplifying the protests, while political leaders from different parties have urged calm and stressed the need to protect both the rights of complainants and the presumption of innocence of the accused. For now, the Sopore school remains under special security, with classes operating under tightened protocols as the inquiry and legal processes continue.

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