Nine-yr-old girl ‘molested’ at Panipat school, one held

The parents, who saw injury marks on their daughter, contacted the school authorities, who allegedly tried to hush up the matter. (Representational)

Close on the heels of the killing of a seven-year-old boy at a school in Gurgaon, a nine-year-old-girl was allegedly molested in the toilet of The Millennium School in Panipat on Wednesday. Scores of parents protested against the school authorities as well as the police outside the school on Thursday.

A 22-year-old man, Tarun, who is a sweeper at the same school, was arrested in connection with the crime. The police claimed he had confessed and would be produced before a court Friday. A police case has been registered at the women’s police station after the girl’s father lodged a complaint under sections 8 and 9 of the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act apart from sections 120B (conspiracy) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC. Besides the filing of an FIR against an unknown person for assaulting the girl, the school principal has also been named co-accused in the case.

Police have not ruled out the role of an insider and have rounded up a few school employees for questioning. The Class IV student went to the toilet at 9:33 am when a man allegedly caught her from behind and sexually assaulted her. He even threatened the girl with dire consequences if she told anybody about the incident. The girl, however, ran out of the toilet. The school told the girl’s parents that she was weeping and asked them to take her home.

The parents, who saw injury marks on their daughter, contacted the school authorities, who allegedly tried to hush up the matter. The girl’s family reached the police station around 9 pm and a case was registered after medical examination of the girl. The protesting parents said though the incident occurred around 8 am, the case was registered at night because throughout the day, the school authorities allegedly pressed the family not to register a case.

A protesting parent, Rajiv Kumar, told The Indian Express that the accused was wearing a green T-shirt. “We have come to know that there was no CCTV camera in front of the toilet and CCTV cameras installed in front of the school gate have already been removed. These are the affairs of a school which charge heavy monthly fees,” he said. The principal, Amita Kochhar, tried to pacify the protesting parents and assured them that there would be proper security arrangements at the school and the guilty would not be spared.

Panipat Deputy Superintendent of Police (Crime against Women) Vidyawati said investigation has begun. No arrest has been made so far. The principal, meanwhile, said the school management has taken full cognisance of the reported incident concerning the girl and there was no dearth in cooperation with the authorities.

“We took immediate action when the child first complained and the parents were informed promptly. All CCTV cameras on the school premises are functional and relevant footage have been handed over to the police,” Kochhar added. The principal further stated that the school will remain closed till Sunday to ensure a fair and uninterrupted probe into the matter. “I don’t know why the police have added my name in the FIR,” she said.