PUNE: A college teacher from Ghodegaon, about 80 km from here, was arrested on Monday after he asked his students to compile a list of abuses and profanities as part of an assignment.

Shashikant Pandurang Salve (40) of Manchar was arrested under charges of stalking and insulting the modesty of women. He was produced before a court on Tuesday and remanded in police custody for four days.

Girish Dighavkar, assistant inspector of Ghodegaon police station, said that Salve was arrested after a 22-year-old student lodged a complaint against him.

Dighavkar said that Salve taught Marathi in the private college. "Salve had given a very strange project to his students. He had asked the students to compile profanities and abuses related to men and women. He had asked them to compile 50 abuses each, used for men and women," he said.

Taken aback by this weird idea, the complainant and her two friends refused to complete the project. "Salve then threatened to fail them in the examination," Dighavkar said. He has been pursuing the trio since then and insisting that they complete the project, he added.

"The student stated in her complaint that Salve used to follow them on the way to college and used to tease them," Dighavkar said. "Salve also used obscene words and gestures, while following them."

After putting up with this harassment for two months, the student approached the police on Monday.

Salve has been charged under sections 354 (D) (stalking), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and section 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

