School teacher arrested for raping six-year-old in Dharamsala

A 42-year-old teacher has been arrested in Dharamsala for raping a six-year-old girl.

A local court has sent the accused to judicial custody till December 31.

The horrific crime took place after the victim's grandmother had sought the help of the accused to drop her granddaughter to her school.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Hitesh Lakhanpal said that the girl's father, Ajay Kumar, had lodged a rape-related complaint at the Shahpur police station.

He said that the accused,Vijay Kumar, had committed the crime while taking the child to school on his scooter.

He said the case is being investigated thoroughly.

In an annual report of 2014, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) said there were 337,922 reports of violence against women such as rape, molestation, abduction and cruelty by husbands last year, also up 9 percent in 2013.

But women's rights groups say the figures are still gross underestimates, as many victims remain reluctant to report crimes such as rape or domestic violence for fear their families and communities will shun them.