JAIPUR: The alleged “elopement” of a 17-year-old girl with a 21-year-old female teacher of her school in Sridungargarh police station area of Bikaner three days ago led to protests by her family and residents on Sunday.

With the teacher hailing from a minority community, the protesters termed the case as one of “love jihad”.After the girl, a student of class 12 in the arts stream, went missing on June 30, her parents lodged an FIR stating that she had eloped with her female teacher.

Scores of locals reached the police station and demanded recovery of the girl since she is a minor and the arrest of the teacher.Police said the girl went to her school on June 30 and did not return till the evening.

Her parents searched for her at the houses of her relatives and friends but got no trace of her till late in the evening.

In the First Information Report, they accused her female teacher of kidnapping her.

Police said a preliminary probe suggests that the girl and her teacher were in a relationship for a long time and that the duo has apparently eloped.“We have lodged a case of kidnap against the teacher.

The girl is a minor as her age is 17 years and five months.

Even if there is consent from her in going away with her teacher, it is not admissible in law.

So we have registered a case of kidnap against the teacher,” said Bikaner SP Tejaswini Gautam to TOI.A police team has been questioning the teacher’s father and other family members to know where she could have gone along with her student, said the SP.

“Our teams are conducting raids and working on some leads.

We are hopeful of recovering the girl soon,” she added.“We will take action against people who spread rumours that can disturb communal harmony,” added Tejaswini.