Held for ‘raping’ minor: School teacher is being framed, says his family

The Nerul police had arrested the teacher on the charges of rape and allegedly impregnating the girl after sexually abusing her on two occasions. (Representational Image)

THE FAMILY of a schoolteacher, accused of raping a 13-year-old student, has claimed that he is being framed in the case.  The family of the 35-year-old teacher, who has been in judicial custody since December 2016, has said that a DNA test done by the police has turned out negative. “The court had permitted the investigating officer to conduct a retest at two different Forensic Science Laboratories, one in Hyderabad and another a private one, in September but the results have not yet come. My husband is on a hungerstrike for the past eight days in Thane jail. He is being framed to save the real accused,” the teacher’s wife said at a press conference on Friday.

The Nerul police had arrested the teacher on the charges of rape and allegedly impregnating the girl after sexually abusing her on two occasions. His wife claims since the DNA test is negative, there is no evidence against him. “My children are suffering for no fault of theirs as their father is in custody for almost a year without evidence. The police should bring forth the results of the tests expeditiously to bring forth the truth,” his wife said. The teacher had gone on a hungerstrike in September as well to seek justice, she said.

The special court in Thane hearing the case had recently rejected his discharge application. “Considering the gravity and seriousness of the offence, the prosecution has to be given full opportunity to lead its evidence during trial. Merely on the basis of contradictions and infirmities in the statements of witnesses and on the basis of the DNA report, it cannot be held that there is no sufficient ground to proceed against the accused,” the court had said while rejecting the discharge plea on November 22.

The teacher’s wife claims that the police “ignored” the possibility of two other suspects — one the victim’s cousin and the other an acquaintance — despite a doctor submitting that the victim had mentioned their names as well.