Ludhiana school principal, teacher arrested for raping Class 11 student
LUDHIANA : Police in a village in Jagraon subdivision on Thursday arrested a government school teacher and the principal on charges of raping a 16-yearold student of Class 11 and then planning how to abort the foetus in January last year.
Police said the abortion was carried out, but details were not known.
The matter came to light after another teacher at the school came across a four-minute audio clip gone viral on WhatsApp, in which the two men are discussing means of abortion. That teacher complained to the authorities, including the state’s director general of police (DGP). Origins of the recording — in which the duo plans to “make her fall” and take her to a hospital where abortion could be done — are being probed for vital clues, it is learnt.
On Thursday, the local station house officer visited the village with a female sub-inspector.
The victim’s statements was recorded before the duty magistrate in the presence of her mother and the village sarpanch.
She said the teacher raped her in the school library, said Surjit Singh, senior superintendent of police (SSP), Ludhiana (rural).
The case against the duo has been registered under sections 376 (rape) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code; the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act; the IT Act; and under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act as the girl is a Dalit.
While the teacher was transferred later, the principal is still posted at the same school.
AFTER THE GIRL GOT PREGNANT, THE DUO ALSO ALLEGEDLY CONSPIRED TO GET THE FOETUS ABORTED
CHILD RIGHTS PANEL SEEKS REPORT
Meanwhile, taking suo motu notice of the audio clip, the Punjab State Commission for Protection of Child Rights directed the district education officer (DEO), secondary, Swaranjit Kaur, to submit a report within a week.
Deputy DEO Charanjit Singh submitted an inquiry report to the DEO on Thursday. “It will further be submitted also to the deputy commissioner and to the state education secretary, Krishan Kumar,” the DEO said.