STUDENT RAPE: RAIKOT SCAN CENTRE RECORDS, MACHINE SEIZED

LUDHIANA: Investigating the rape of a 16-year-old schoolgirl by a teacher at a government school in Jagraon subdivision, and subsequent abortion of the foetus, police on Tuesday seized the ultrasound scanning machine of Sandhu Scan center of Raikot, where the girl’s pregnancy was allegedly confirmed. Also, police claim to have found that the abortion was carried out at a hospital in Raikot, though more details were not shared.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP), Ludhiana Rural, Surjit Singh said the record from the scanning centre was seized too, and the civil surgeon has been asked to investigate further. Police had arrested Parminder Singh Sandhu, a radiologist and owner of the centre, on Mon-day after he was found allegedly involved in the forging of her test reports.

He allegedly destroyed the pregnancy report and later mentioned that the girl had undergone ultrasound scan for “uncertain menstruation cycle”, as maintaining record is mandatory under the law to prevent female foeticide. He further mentioned in record that the girl had developed “a cyst in her gall bladder”.

The police had first arrested a Punjabi teacher and an officiating principal of the school, and then a math teacher, the Punjabi teacher’s wife who is a staff nurse at civil hospital, Raikot; a member of panchayat, and Jagtar Singh, an assistant at the scan centre. The matter came to light after a teacher came across on Whatsapp an audio recording of two main accused discussing ways of abortion. The SSP said that all accused are being questioned. While the Punjabi teacher has been booked for rape, the rest are in the dock for conspiracy and other charges.