Bangalore child rape: Activists, parents protest against school

BangaloreHundreds of sociopolitical activists and parents Friday staged a massive demonstration against a private school in the citys eastern suburb where a sixyearold girl student was allegedly raped twice this week by a teacherSeeking severe punishment to the suspect and stringent action against the school for the horrifying crime in its premises many parents said the management was not forthcoming on what safety measures it had taken to protect their wardsEver since similar incidents happened in a couple of schools in the city recently we asked the school chairman what measures had been taken to ensure safety of our wards Though he claimed to have implemented the safety guidelines the same incident occurred in this school S Geetha a parent of two wards told IANS outside the schoolOf the four closedcircuit television CCTV cameras installed in the school premises only one was working while the others were defective a parent allegedThe cameras also do not cover the entire school complex especially first and second floors of the rectangular building rest rooms and the whole playground in the middle Only two guards are seen at the main gate while no maids are posted inside to ensure safety of girl students another parent said on the condition of anonymityIn a swift action suspect Jaishankar 38 a Hindi teacher in Cambridge School was arrested late Thursday hours after the victims mother lodged a complaint in the local police station about her daughter reading in first standard being sexually abused Oct 2829 in the school premisesWe will present the suspect in a local court to seek his custody for interrogation We are waiting for the victims medical report from the staterun hospital in the city where she was examined for the sexual assault to investigate the case additional commissioner of police law and order Alok Kumar told reporters near the schoolA criminal case was registered against the suspect under sections 4 and 6 of Pocso Act Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012 and section 376 of the Indian Penal Code IPC on the complaint based on the girls versionAccording to the complaint on returning home from school Wednesday evening the girl told her mother that she was feeling pain in the genital region after her male teacher a physical training instructor physically abused her Tuesday and Wednesday once in the restroom and then in the classroom when she was aloneWe will record the girls version of the incident before a magistrate under section 164 of the CrPC Criminal Procedure Code after she recovers from the trauma she went through Female staff of the probe team will also counsel her to recall what happened when and where in the school premises Kumar saidThough the school management declared holiday for Friday hundreds of students turned up early morning to attend classes and had to return home early while many of their parents and relatives of other wards stayed back to meet the managementAbout 200 police personnel were deployed around the school located in a dense residential colony to maintain peace and prevent any untoward incidentAbout 300 members of a Dalit organisation proKannada activists and opposition BJP cadres joined the agitated parents at the sitin demo and sought justice to the victim and dismissal of the suspect from the schoolIn view of this latest incident male teachers should not be appointed for teaching or training in girls or coed schools for the sake of our wards safety and security If unavoidable their background profile should be checked by police to find out their past conduct and behaviour Geetha assertedMeanwhile the management expressed regrets for the incident and assured all the parents that the services of the accused teacher would be terminated if he was found guilty