NHRC notice to Har govt over 'rape' of class 11 student in Panipat

The NHRC Friday sent a notice to the Haryana government over alleged rape and impregnation of a class 11 student by her teacher in a state-run school in Panipat.

The commission said this is a serious issue of violation of human rights as an innocent girl has been betrayed by none other than her teacher, who ought to be her true protector and guide.

"Such a despicable and nefarious act done by the teacher cannot be accepted in a civilized society at any cost," it said in a statement.

"The National Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of media reports that a class 11 student, studying in a government school in Panipat district of Haryana, was allegedly repeatedly raped by one of the teachers in the school and the victim is now seven months pregnant," it said.

According to the media reports, the accused teacher had threatened the girl that her family members would be killed if she disclosed the incident to anyone, the rights panel said.

The NHRC has issued a notice to the chief secretary and the Haryana government seeking a detailed report in the matter within four weeks.

"The commission would like to know about the status of the investigation of the FIR and arrest of the accused. The authorities are also expected to provide all possible assistance and support to the family of the victim to overcome the trauma and to facilitate her rehabilitation," it added.

According to the media reports, carried on July 12, the accused teacher used to conduct extra classes of the students in the school premises.

"On a particular day when the incident occurred, two other girls were also studying in the class and when they went to drink water, the accused took the victim to another room and raped her. Afterwards, the accused repeatedly raped the victim and threatened her not to disclose it to anyone," the statement said.

Reportedly, an FIR has been registered by police and raids are being conducted to arrest the accused who is still at large, it added.