2 minor boys ragged, sexually abused in Maha school; 3 held

The 42-year-old director of a vedic school in Maharashtra's Parbhani district was arrested and two juvenile students were detained for the alleged assault and ragging of two other minor students, police said Sunday.

The victims, in the age group of 9 to 10 years, were allegedly ragged and their private parts tied with 'manja' (string) by the accused, Parbhani's deputy superintendent of police Sanjay Pardeshi said.

The incident occurred at the Ganesh Ved Pathshala, located on Basmat Road in Parbhani, 500 km from Mumbai, between August 26 and September 12, and it came to light last Wednesday when parents of the two victims complained to the police about it, he said.

The accused students allegedly ragged the boys, tied their private parts with the string and also beat them up. Following the incident, the victims suffered injury to their private parts, Pardeshi said.

The boys had complained to the Ved Pathshala director, Sudhir Kulkarni, about the inhuman treatment they were being subjected to on the pretext of ragging but their pleas were disregarded, the official said.

The boys then narrated the incident to their parents who lodged a complaint with the Parbhani city police following which Kulkarni was arrested on Saturday for ignoring the complaints of the victims while the two accused, who are 10 and 13 years' old, were detained, Pardeshi said.

Offences were registered against the accused under IPC sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), and provisions of the Maharashtra Prohibition of Ragging Act and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, he said.

Pardeshi said during the investigation, the police found that the Ved Pathshala, where only six students were enrolled, was not registered with the registrar office and was running illegally.

Meanwhile, Kulkarni was produced before a local court which remanded him in judicial custody.

The two accused students were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board which sent the duo to a remand home, Pardeshi said.