Odisha SHOCKER: Class 6 student raped by teachers in school toilet
The principal and another teacher of the government-run residential school in Odisha’s Nabarangpur district allegedly forcibly entered the toilet and raped the class 6 tribal student when she was inside.
Odisha Crime News: An 11-year-old student from a tribal community was allegedly raped by two teachers in a toilet of a government school in Odisha’s Nabarangpur district. This sparked statewide outrage and opposition parties demanded justice for the victim, police said on Friday.
The principal along with another teacher of the government-run residential school allegedly forcibly entered the toilet and raped the class 6 student when she was inside. The two suspects were arrested and subsequently sent to jail after appearing before the POCSO court in Nabarangpur, officials said.
“They were produced before special judge Pranati Saha, who sentenced them to 14 days of judicial custody,” said public prosecutor Sacchidanand Swain.
Meanwhile, the Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC), which is taking the issue seriously, has sought a report from the Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO), Nabarangpur.
The OHRC has also directed the CDMO-cum-Public Health Officer (PHO) to submit a report within four weeks. The committee has instructed the CDMO to ensure proper treatment of the girl in the hospital.
The incident that took place on Tuesday came to light on November 9 when the girl felt pain in the lower abdomen and told her parents what had happened. When she was taken to a hospital, doctors there said she may have been sexually assaulted, police said.
After her parents filed a complaint with the Kundei police station, the principal and another teacher of her school were detained, interrogated and medically examined before being arrested on charges of gang rape, Nabarangpur SP Rohit Verma said.
Police said a case has been registered against the teachers under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act.
The victim was admitted to the district headquarters hospital in Nabarangpur where she is undergoing treatment, police said.
Meanwhile, the opposition BJP and Congress came down heavily on the state’s BJD government, blaming it for the rise in crimes against women, especially minor girls.
“There is no safety for women in the state. If the government does not take immediate action in the Nabarangpur schoolgirl gang rape case, our party will make an issue out of it and take to the streets,” BJP spokesperson Sonali Sahu said at a press conference in Bhubaneswar.
The BJP leader named some ruling party leaders involved in cases of atrocities among women. Of the 65 MLAs facing various criminal cases, around 42 belonged to the ruling BJD, she pointed out.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Sarat Patnaik also formed a ten-member fact-finding team led by Jeypore MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati to visit and meet the gang rape survivor and her parents.
District Congress Committee (DCC) Chairman Monoranjan Tripathy, addressing a press conference in Nabarangpur, alleged that the tribal girls were regularly harassed and sexually abused in various government schools in the district. He announced that the party would launch a campaign to seek justice for the 11-year-old student.
(Only the headline was reworked by India.com staff. Copy is from a syndicated feed)