The police have arrested the directors of two private schools in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh for allegedly molesting 17 minor girl students who were asked to stay overnight on a school premises on the pretext of a practical exam.
The incident allegedly took place on November 18, but the local police registered the first information report (FIR) only on Sunday (December 5) after an MLA intervened on behalf of the parents. The station house officer of the Purkazi police station has been suspended for negligence of duty.
In their complaint, the parents said that on the morning of November 18, the director of a school in Bhopa took the 17 girls for a practical examination to another school in Purkazi. The distance between the two towns is around 25 km.
After the examination, the girls were told to stay back in the school so that they could appear for the next day’s exam. “At night, the girls were given food laced with sedatives and were molested. The next morning, they were told not to share the incident at home or else their family members would be killed and their academic career spoilt,” the complaint, registered on December 4, said.
The father of one of the victims said when the girls reached home the next evening, they narrated the incident, and since then they had been making rounds of the police station. He pointed out that the school had not asked the boys to stay back and that there were no women teachers.
Senior Superintendent of Police Abhishek Yadav said the directors of the two schools had been booked under Sections 328, 356, and 504 of the Indian Penal Code and relevant Sections of the POCSO Act. “We have suspended the SHO of Purkazi police station and the statements of the students are being recorded,” he said.
Krishna Kumar Bishnoi, circle officer, told The Hindu that one director was arrested on Monday night and the second accused was nabbed on Tuesday evening but it was still not clear why the students were asked to stay overnight. “We are investigating the case from various angles. Both the schools are affiliated with the CBSE. Apart from the alleged crime, the incident raises larger issues about the Education Department,” he said.
During the investigation, he said, it had come to light that some of the students were dropped at the school by their parents in good faith.
“So far two girls have recorded their statements. They said they were fed ‘khichdi’ that was allegedly laced with sedatives. The parents of these girls had approached the police station for the first time on December 4,” Mr. Bishnoi said.
