RAPE BID ON 9YEAROLD GIRL IN PANIPAT SCHOOL
PARENTS PROTEST Victim claims a man, alleged to be sweeper, tried to rape her in toilet of The Millennium School, FIR registered against unidentified person
Less than two weeks after an 8-year-old boy was murdered in Gurgaon’s Ryan International School, an employee of a private school in Panipat allegedly tried to rape a nine-year-old student on Wednesday.. ››
PANIPAT: A fortnight after a bus conductor allegedly killed a seven-year-old boy by slitting his throat at the Ryan International School in Gurgaon, a nine-year old became a victim of rape attempt by an unidentified man in The Millennium School in Panipat.
In a complaint lodged with the police, the family members of the girl said she told them that am an in green shirt had caught her and tried to rape her in the school toilet on Wednesday morning.
The police registered a case against an “unidentified person” under the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act at the local women’s police station.
The cops have sought help of the school authorities to identify the accused. They are also going through the footage of CCTV cameras in the school.
On Thursday, the family members along with parents of other students held a protest outside the school and demanded arrest of the accused. They also sought action against school authorities for their alleged failure to ensure the safety of children.
The parents of the girl said, “On Wednesday around 9 am, we got a call from the school authorities that our daughter is crying and does not want to take the exam. We reached school and brought her home. When we changed her clothes, we noticed some scratches on her shoulder and lashes on her neck. By the evening, she told us that a sweeper in green T-shirt caught her in the toilet and tried to rape her, but she ran outside the toilet.” However, school principal Amita Kochhar said, “I don’t know when exactly the incident took place, but before the exam she complained about vomiting and said she cannot take the exam, so we called her parents.”
She added ,“Around 11 am, her mother took her home and around 5pm I got a call from her parents that they wanted to meet me urgently. Around 20 people came to my house. They narrated the incident and I immediately informed the police to ensure that the guilty is not spared. The school has extended all support to the police to identify the accused out of the 5 sweepers appointed in the school.”
Asked whether the school management knew that the girl was molested, the principal said the girl did not tell them anything about the incident but she just kept crying.
Talking to HT, Pa nip at deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Vidyavati said the medical examination of the girl has been conducted and some scratch es were found on her shoulder .” The DSP said the school management was cooperating in the investigations and the accused will be arrested soon. The police have rounded up all the five sweepers of the school and investigations was onto identify the accused. Meanwhile, heavy police deployment was made outside and inside the school. The agitating parents continued their protest for several hours and demanded that the school principal come out to satisfy the parents on the security and safety of their children.
The incident has exposed serious laps es by the school authorities as there were no CCTV cameras installed near the toilet.
The parents alleged that the school authorities were trying to suppress the issue and did not come out to give any clarification over the issue. “We have been urging the school management to appoint female sweepers in the school, but they did not accept our demand. Their negligence has led to this incident,” said Amanpreet Kaur, a parent.
Panipat district education officer Uday Pratap said, “We have told the school administration to submit a report about the incident and action will be taken as per the police investigation.” The DEO has ordered to keep the school closed till Monday.
On Wednesday , we got a call from the school authorities that our daughter is crying and does not want to take the exam. At home, she told us that a sweeper in green Tshirt caught her in the toilet and tried to rape her, but she ran out. › PARENTS OF THE GIRL The medical examination of the girl has been conducted and some scratches were found on her shoulder VIDYAVATI , superintendent of police, Panipat