Police question school staff after girl’s ‘letter to PM’ alleges exploitation

A team of the Haryana State Child Rights Protection Commission, led by panel member Sunita Devi, visited the school on Sunday to inspect the security arrangements. (Representational photo)

Haryana police have lodged an FIR against two employees of a private school in Gohana, Sonepat, for sexually exploiting an unidentified girl, who purportedly wrote to the Prime Minister about it. The police questioned two employees of Om Public School — Karambir and Sukhbir — after lodging an FIR against them under Section 376D (gangrape) of the IPC on Saturday. The police officers made it clear that the two have so far not been arrested.
Karambir and Sukhbir were purportedly mentioned in the complaint letter by the girl. They are staff members of the school.

“This letter was being circulated on WhatsApp groups on Saturday. Police lodged an FIR and initiated probe, but as of now the allegations have not been corroborated from any quarter,” Sonepat SP Satender Kumar Gupta told The Indian Express on Sunday.

He said the alleged victim has not come forward yet, but police investigations are on. Police have also not ruled possibility of foul flay in the matter.

The director of the school, Nirmal Lather, has denied the allegations. He said that if the allegations were found to be true, school authorities would provide all possible help to the police as well as to the victim, in case she comes forward. The director also said it could also be a plot to defame the school.

A team of the Haryana State Child Rights Protection Commission, led by panel member Sunita Devi, visited the school on Sunday to inspect the security arrangements.

According to the team members, one of the accused, Karambir daily commutes from his native village Murlana in the school bus. The commission member, Sunita Devi, said that the counselling of students commuting on this bus will be arranged on Monday apart from questioning of the bus driver and conductor. On Sunday, a police team visited the school and spoke to students and other staff.

In her letter to the PM, the anonymous girl alleged that she was being sexually exploited by the accused, who showed her sexually explicit clips on mobile phone. In the letter, she also mentioned that the accused had even forced her to come to a hotel, adding that they had asked her to bring another girl, her friend. However, according to the Sonepat SP, the allegation of a girl being called to the hotel has not been confirmed in preliminary probe.

According to the letter, the purported victim brought the incident to the notice of her class in-charge urging her to inform the school principal, but nothing happened. Fearing for her life, the girl wrote, she chose not to inform her family, the letter said. Finally, she sent a complaint to the Prime Minister and Haryana Chief Minister after being encouraged by her friend.