NOIDA: The mother of the three-and-a-half-year old girl allegedly raped by a lifeguard of her school’s pool had in May written to the class teacher that her daughter was showing signs of discomfort during swimming lessons, a practice she looked forward to a few months earlier.
The mother told TOI she had sent multiple WhatsApp messages to the teacher since May, informing her that her daughter was even refusing to wear the swimming costume under her uniform for classes on Thursday.
“She would happily swim in the housing society’s pool with her elder sister. However, she had started refusing to swim since early May. Her school teacher had directed all parents to ensure their children wear swimming costumes underneath their uniforms. But my younger daughter would start crying whenever she was asked to swim,” the mother said.
In one of her WhatsApp messages to the teacher, the mother wrote she was “concerned” as the child was “repelling swimming”. In another message this month, the woman said her daughter had refused to step into the pool.
To a query if the child had gone for swimming earlier this month, the teacher had replied: “She had to be motivated a lot but finally, she was happy.”
Last Thursday, the kid’s mother had again asked the teacher if her daughter had taken part in swimming sessions. The teacher had then shared with her a picture of her daughter in the swimming pool. The picture had captured the 42-year-old rape accused, Chandi Das, near the pool.
Amit Srivastava, the circle officer of
Greater Noida I, said the messages would be treated as evidence.
Asked about the phone exchanges, the principal said children were often scared of stepping into the pool. “I didn’t get the messages, the teacher did,” she added. “I am only concerned about the well-being and safety of the child and all students,” she added.
