Girl rape case; school chairman arrested

Founder-Chairman of the city school where a six-year old girl was allegedly raped has been arrested eight days after the shocking incident, that has triggered public outrage, was reported to police.
As public anger and protests over "delay" in taking swift action in the case persisted with the school facing allegations of trying to suppress the incident, Rustom Kerawalla of Vibgyor High School was arrested at Daman yesterday and brought to the city this morning.
Announcing the second arrest after that of the school skating instructor Mustafa, the main accused, on Sunday, newly appointed Bangalore Police Commissioner M N Reddi said relevant sections of IPC, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) had been invoked against him.

Kerawalla has been booked under section 201 of IPC (causing disappearance of evidence of offence or giving false information to screen offender from legal punishment) and Section 23 of the Juvenile Justice Act (relating to punishment for cruelty to juvenile or child).
Section 21 of POCSO pertains to failure to report or record a case by any person or any person being in charge of any company or an institution.
The police action came just a day after the government, facing the heat over the incident, effected reshuffle in the top echelon of police, bringing in Reddi as Commissioner of Police in place of Raghavendra Auradkar.

The incident had happened on July 2 and the complaint was lodged on July 14, while the first arrest came six days later.

Countering charges of delay, Reddi said, "Arrests are always done on time and pronto. We always do things pronto. That is an assumptive question and you are asking me there is a delay - there is no delay. I am saying there is no delay."
Asked whether any other staff members were also involved in the crime, Reddi said, "Gentleman, we will not leave any stone unturned." Police were "hurt" over reports that there was a cover-up attempt, he said.

The main accused was sacked at another school earlier for "gross misconduct" with girls, the institution had disclosed, with Vibgyor High School coming in for criticism for not checking the background of its staffer.