Parents outraged over sexual assault on minor

Hundreds of outraged parents Thursday stormed into a private school here, protesting against the alleged sexual assault on a six-year-old student by two teachers during school hours.

"We have detained the accused for interrogation after a complaint was filed against them Wednesday on the incident, which is reported to have occurred July 2," deputy commissioner of police (east) Satish Kumar told IANS here.

Though the victim told her parents and teachers July 9 that she was physically abused by the sports teacher and physical instructor in the school premises, the Vibgyor High School authorities failed to act against the accused and tried to hush up the incident.

"The incident came to light Tuesday after the parents brought it to our notice. We registered the case under section 376 of the Indian Penal Code on their complaint...," Kumar said.

Seeking stringent action against the accused, protesting parents sought security for their children studying in the school where the tuition fee alone is Rs.1.5 lakh a year.

"We have told the school management to file a separate complaint with the police against the accused so that the case could be investigated properly and the guilty punished," said Nandish Reddy, the parent of a student.

Incidentally, Reddy is a former BJP lawmaker from the K.R. Puram assembly segment in the city's eastern suburb.

Earlier, the agitated parents and guardians of the wards stormed into the school premises after pulling down the gate and smashing the window glass panes of the building after they were denied entry to meet the school management.

"We are not shielding the accused. We are cooperating with police in the case," school chairman Rustom Kerawalla told reporters.

"We have also handed over the CCTV footage of the class room to the investigation officer. If they are found guilty, they should be hanged."

According to the parents, the accused committed the crime when the child was alone in the class room.

"We have also learnt that the two instructors are not employees of the school but are working on contract. They have been hired without any background check or profiling of their conduct," said another parent.

The school remained shut Thursday in view of the protest by parents and guardians.