Malda teacher blackmails student for sex

A brilliant career has perhaps been cut short, and a young mind scarred for ever. A schoolteacher was arrested on Saturday for allegedly forcing one of his students — a Madhyamik topper — to have sex with him, threatening to blackmail her with photographs of their intimate moments. The girl, a student of Mothabari High School, Kaliachak, had passed Madhyamik in 2006 with exceptional marks. She had, in fact, found a place in the top 10 merit list among girls. After Madhyamik, she took admission in Barlow Girls’ School, Malda, from where she was to take her Higher Secondary in 2008. When Ismail Sk, the chemistry teacher at her old school, suggested to the girl’s parents that she should move into his home at Englishbazar, her parents had no reason to suspect that anything could go wrong. They thought the teacher was being generous as he was concerned about their daughter’s studies. Soon after the girl moved in, Ismail — married with two daughters — started a romantic involvement with her, said Malda SP Satyajit Bandyopadhyay. Promising marriage, he even persuaded her to start a physical relationship. Some time later, when the girl reminded him of his promise, Ismail said he would not be able to keep his word, as he was already married. When the shattered girl wanted to end the affair, he threatened to leak photographs of their intimate moments he had clicked on his cellphone. The girl was so distressed by the relationship that she could not take her higher secondary exam this year. Finally, unable to take it any more, she confided in her family. On Saturday, her father lodged a complaint with the Englishbazar police, who promptly arrested Ismail and seized his cellphone, where the girl’s photographs were stored. Abhijit Nandi, assistant headmaster and teacher-in-charge at the school, did not want to elaborate on the incident. “Ismail is in custody and police will probe the case,” was all that he would say. Some teachers, however, said they knew of Ismail’s involvement with the girl. They had, in fact, advised him to discontinue the relationship, but Ismail had paid no heed, they said. The girl’s father was shattered. “We knew Ismail well. He took an interest in my daughter’s studies. I had no reason to suspect anything. He has ruined my daughter’s life,” he said.

Article from THE TIMES OF INDIA. [ 21 Sep 2008, ]