Uttarakhand school shocker: Medical report confirms sexual assault, say police

Dehradun, September 19

A girl gang-raped in a leading school on the outskirts of the city and her father Wednesday recorded their statements before a local court while her medical report confirmed sexual assault, police said.

A check by the state education department found the school had violated several safety norms and could soon lose its license, an official said.

The victim and her father recorded their statements before the court of Additional District Judge (Civil) Manju Singh, Investigating Officer Naresh Rathore said.

Medical report also arrived confirming the victim was sexually assaulted, Rathore said.     

Nine people, including the students accused of the crime, school officials and employees have been arrested in connection with the case. While three minors boys have been sent to a correctional home in Haridwar by the Juvenile Justice Board, their adult accomplice and five school employees, including its director and principal were sent to the district jail in Dehradun on judicial remand, he said.  The school employees were arrested as they kept the heinous crime committed within the premises under wraps for a month, the police officer said. 

The crime took place on August 14 and came to light only on September 16 despite the school authorities already knowing about it, Rathore said. The victim shared her ordeal first with her older sister who studied at the same school. She informed school authorities who, instead of approaching police, tried to cover up by threatening to throw the sisters out of school if they narrated the incident to anyone, an official said. The victim’s older sister eventually confided in a relative, who approached police. Meanwhile, the state education department announced it would cancel the school’s licence and no objection certificate.

Chief Education Officer SB Joshi who visited the school said it had violated several norms, including having no CCTVs on campus and not deploying security guards for the safety of students. CBSE regional officer Ranvir Singh said he had recommended to the head office cancellation of the school's affiliation. Response to a show cause notice issued to the school to explain its actions was not found satisfactory, he said. PTI