Gurugram schoolteacher threatened with rape puts in papers

GURUGRAM: The education officer in Gurugram was on Thursday asked to conduct an inquiry into two recent incidents at a well-known city school, of a Class VII student threatening a teacher and her daughter with rape and a Class VIII student propositioning candlelight dinner and sex to another teacher.
The teacher against whom the threat was made sent her resignation to the school on Thursday in an email in which she made important points that have been widely discussed since the student’s post came to light.

“I’m emotionally very distressed and I don’t want to engage in a blame game or be vindictive at this stage. I strongly feel that overexposure to technology is damaging the mind and conduct of young children. The school and parents should play a more responsive and proactive role in ensuring that children are properly counselled and guided so that such incidents are not repeated,” she said in the letter.

Her daughter, who also studies in Class VII, didn’t go to school on Thursday either. The shocked child had stopped going to school after receiving the threat.

TOI has also learnt that the husband of the teacher had filed a complaint on a white paper, along with relevant evidence (the boy had made the threat in an online post) at Gwalpahari police post on February 12. But no FIR has been registered yet. The boy wrote the post on February 9.

Gwalpahari police post in-charge Vinay told TOI the complaint filed by the teacher’s husband had been forwarded to the cyber cell of Gurgaon police. “We received the complaint on February 12 evening and since it was related to the cyber cell, we forwarded it to the cell the next morning.” Cyber cell officials were not available for comment on the status of the probe. Gurgaon police commissioner Sandeep Khirwar said, “I am not aware of this and I can’t comment on this.”

National Council for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) member Priyank Kanoongo said in case a juvenile is involved, “an FIR has to be lodged after receiving the complaint, after which a special juvenile unit will look into the entire issue”.

Deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh said the education officer would look into the incidents involving both students. “I have ordered an inquiry. A report has been sought in seven days.”

The Haryana state commission for women has also said it is closely monitoring activities of the school and will send a team to the campus to inquire.

A parent whose children study in the school said, “Needless to say, as a parent, I’m deeply concerned about the two incidents in question. I hope that moving forward, the school will demonstrate alacrity and sensitivity in responding to such unpardonable acts without waiting for the incidents to reach the public domain.”

In its official statement earlier this week, the school had described the student’s online post as an objectionable cyber prank. The school has called a meeting of all parents on Friday to “enhance” their understanding of teenagers’ issues and find strategies to deal with them with empathy. The school is seeking a “focused discussion” between all stakeholders.