Class seven student held for rape bid

CHANDIGARH: A day after the case of attempt to rape a Class I girl came to the fore, Maloya police arrested the accused, a Class VII student and sent him in juvenile home on Friday. The boy was booked for allegedly trying to rape the girl in the school toilet a few days back. Initially, the survivor's parents were not ready to file a complaint against the boy for fear of social stigma.
The incident, which came to light on Thursday, took place on October 15, but the girl's parents approached the school principal on October 22, after which the principal alerted the district education officer. The principal said the girl studied in the evening shift and had come to school early that day as her parents had to go to work. "She went to the washroom and on seeing that no one was around, the boy followed her and sexually abused her. She managed to escape," the principal said.

After the girl's parents complained, the principal called the boy's parents. He confessed and was immediately rusticated. Sources said the girl sustained injuries during the assault. According to the principal, she was medically examined.

As per the POCSO Act, the school and district education office authorities should have informed the police within 24 hours. Even as the principal rusticated the boy the day the complaint was received, police were not informed, said Niti Mohan, POCSO consultant.

As per the CBSE and the Chandigarh Commission for Protection of Child Rights' instructions, schools should install CCTV cameras outside washrooms. If there were CCTV cameras outside the school washroom, the incident might have been noticed the very first day.