Greater Noida sexual assault: From workshops to mid-day meals, accused was ‘active & calm’

Ashok Mishra, arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting an 11-year-old Nigerian boy, was never supposed to look after such ‘miscellaneous activities’, and was instead tasked with screening visitors at the school.

He was abreast with every department in the school, fixed short circuits, handed school books and ID cards, kept a stock of mid-day meals and organised workshops for students. But Ashok Mishra, arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting an 11-year-old Nigerian boy, was never supposed to look after such ‘miscellaneous activities’, and was instead tasked with screening visitors at the school.

The school principal told The Indian Express that “Ashok knew the pulse of the school and was a very calm and helpful person”. “He was very active in organising functions at the school and used to hand out books and ID cards whenever there was a scarcity. This is a very shocking day for us,” the principal said. ‘Accused in sexual assault of schoolboy helped in police verification of staffers’

Mishra had joined the school after a five-year stint at a hospitality management institute in Greater Noida. “He joined the school in 2011 as an administrative assistant, and school authorities told us he did not have access to the building with classrooms,” said a senior Noida Police officer.

Noida Police, however, claimed the alleged sexual assaults — which lasted over three years and took place three-four times every month — were carried out inside the washroom. The coordinators working at the school said that frequent ‘good touch-bad touch’ sessions for kindergarten and primary school children were held. When the principal was asked if Ashok also organised these sessions, she said, “I cannot answer your query regarding this matter.”