Bangalore, Jul 18: A medical examination confirmed on Thursday that the six-year-old girl student of Vibgyor High, a school in Marathalli, was sexually abused.
Even as the police detained two persons, Bangalore witnessed an outrage with parents accusing the management of hushing up the matter.
Though the girl was sexually abused on July 2 by two employees of the school inside a dark room where she was made to stand for “being mischievous”, the incident was not brought to the notice of the police nor to the girl's parents by school authorities. The matter came to the light only after the girl complained of fever and other medical problems almost 12 days later.
Home Minister K J George informed the Legislative Council that after the girl was sexually attacked, a teacher noticed that she was bleeding and rushed her to the sick bay of the school.
A doctor was summoned and the girl was given medical aid. On July 12, the victim's parents took her to a senior doctor as she had fever. During the medical examination, it was confirmed that she was sexually abused. The parents lodged a complaint on July 14 with the Varthur police, he said.
Fear for school image
A senior officer connected with the investigation said there are reports that some representatives in the school management were aware of the incident soon after it happened.?They hushed up the matter and did not inform police as they feared that it would spoil the school's image.
DCP?(Crime) Abishek Goel said: “There are reports that the school authorities were involved in hushing up the matter. Stringent action will be taken against those responsible in hushing up the matter if the investigation proves this.”
Another police official said the victim was taken to the spot where the crime was committed for verification.
The Indian Penal Code (IPC) has several provisions after the IPC?Section 166 was amended following the Delhi gang-rape.?The police would invoke all such provisions if anybody is found to have hushed up the matter. The child was in the custody of the school management when she was sexually abused. Hence, the management is solely responsible for the incident, he added. Though the police have detained a gym instructor and a security staff for questioning, no one has been arrested.
Asked whether action would be taken against the school for hushing up the matter, George said that investigation is on and appropriate action would be taken against the guilty.
Addressing the parents and the media on the school premises, Rustom Kerawalla, founder-chairman of Vibgyor High, on Thursday apologised for the incident and said he was ready to cooperate with the police in the investigation. “We will take immediate steps to ensure additional security to students at the school. CCTV camera footages will be provided to the investigators and more cameras will be installed in the coming days,” he said.
Meanwhile, Union Minister for Human Resource Development Smriti Irani expressed deep concern over the safety and security of children in the school. School Education Secretary of the Ministry, R Bhattacharya, spoke to the Chief Secretary of Karnataka Kaushik Mukherjee and enquired about the action taken by the government so far, an official said.
HRD ministry seeks report from Karnataka
The Human Resources Development Minister, Smriti Irani, has expressed concern over the safety and security of children in educational institutions, following reports that a six-year-old girl was sexually assaulted in a Bangalore school.
The ministry's School Education Secretary, R Bhattacharya, spoke to Chief Secretary of Karnataka Kaushik Mukherjee over the incident and enquired about the action take by the State government so far, an official said.
“Karnataka has also been requested to send a detailed report as to how the institution failed to honour the requirements of safety and security of children in the school, which is one of the critical responsibilities of the management, especially in the light of the RTE Act and guidelines of the ministry.
These are in addition to the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, and various Supreme Court guidelines on this matter. The ministry awaits details of action taken by the Karnataka government in this regard,” the official added.
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