Tamil Nadu: Three teachers held for raping child at government school near Bargur
Six months after students were sexually assaulted at fake NCC camps in Krishnagiri district, three teachers of a government school near Bargur were arrested on Wednesday for the rape of a 13-year-old student. The girl’s relatives staged a protest in front of the school demanding capital punishment for the accused. Over 50 police personnel were rushed to the location and the protest was called off after talks with authorities.
According to sources, on Monday evening, the child’s mother went to the school and asked the headmistress (HM) why no one had asked after her daughter who had been on sick leave since January 3. Following this, the HM and a teacher visited the girl at her house, where she told them she had been allegedly raped by three teachers — aged 57, 48 and 37 — on January 2 and 3. Two of the three men were her own class teachers, sources added.
The next day, the girl and her mother, accompanied by the HM and teacher, lodged a complaint with the Bargur All-Women Police Station. Subsequently, officials from the Krishnagiri District Child Protection Unit visited the survivor, and sent her to the One Stop Centre at the Government Krishnagiri Medical College Hospital.
EPS slams DMK-led govt over incident
Upon the complaint, Bargur police registered a case under Section 5 (f) r/w 6 of the Pocso Act for aggravated penetrative sexual assault and sections 329 (3) (criminal trespass) and 351 (2) (criminal intimidation) of the BNS.
On Wednesday, the Chief Education Officer (in-charge) A Muniraj and District Education Officer (Elementary) Thomson visited the school. Upon the CEO’s instruction, the three accused teachers have been placed under suspension.
Krishnagiri Collector C Dinesh Kumar refuted rumours that the child had been pregnant and undergone an abortion. He said the district administration had acted swiftly on the complaint. Counselling was provided to the child and a medical examination was conducted, he added. AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami condemned the DMK-led state government and said there is no safety for girl students and women in Tamil Nadu under this regime.
The DMK government should be ashamed of the state of affairs and take steps to mete out maximum punishment to the three accused, he added. It may be recalled that over 120 students were sexually assaulted and 23 persons were arrested in the case related to the fake NCC camps in the district.
The school education department subsequently reiterated a slew of instructions on child protection and initiated awareness efforts at schools. Children and women in distress can call 1098 and 181 helplines respectively.
