Seven Class X students at a social welfare hostel in Igatpuri, Nashik have been booked for allegedly sexually abusing junior students over several months, officials said. The case, registered on March 3 under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, also names hostel superintendent Sushant Dudhsagare for allegedly failing to act despite complaints.

Nashik: Seven Class X students of a hostel run by the Maharashtra social welfare department in Igatpuri in Nashik have been booked for allegedly sexually abusing some of their juniors, an official said on Thursday.

The superintendent of the hostel too has been booked in the case filed under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act at Igatpuri police station on March 3, he added.

"A case has been filed against seven Class X students and the hostel superintendent, while an inquiry is being carried out by the Child Welfare Committee," district collector Ayush Prasad said.

As per sources, the seven Class students are accused of giving sedatives to those from Class V-VII staying in the same hostel and then indulging in unnatural acts.