Villagers oppose rape victim’s admission
As if the trauma of gang rape was not enough, a teenaged girl was denied admission in school in Hafijpur Biharipur village in Bijnor district under pressure of villagers, S Raju reports
As if the trauma of gang rape was not enough, a teenaged girl was denied admission in school in Hafijpur Biharipur village in Bijnor district under pressure of villagers.
But on the intervention of district administration, the school acting principal Khalid Hussain later granted her admission.
The villagers, after holding a panchayat on the issue, threatened the principal that they would withdraw their wards from the school if he admitted the girl. Succumbing to the pressure of villagers Hussain refused admission to the girl and reported the matter to the block officials for further action.
Village pradhan Subhash Chauhan admitted to HT that the villagers were against the girl getting admission.
The girl, who belongs to the Valmiki community, was gang raped in April last by four village youth who also made an MMS of their criminal act and circulated it to their friends. While three accused are in jail, one is out on bail.
The parents of the traumatised girl had discontinued her schooling after the incident (then she was in Class 6 in a private school outside the village).
Now, they had approached the village school principal for her admission in Class 7 in the new academic session.
She even attended classes for a few days prior to her formal admission but was later compelled to sit at home as the villagers opposed her presence in school along with their wards.
Protesting against the decision of the panchayat, the father of the victim requested the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Dhamapur, Sriprakash Gupt to ensure that his daughter was given admission.
Taking cognizance of the matter, Bijnor’s superintendent of police Nitin Tiwari asked circle officer Harendra Yadav and SDM Gupt to visit the village and resolve the matter.
Gupt and Yadav visited the village on Friday and on their directions, the principal admitted the girl in school.
According to the SDM, the village pradhan also was against the girl getting admission. In his report to district magistrate Dr Sarita Kumar, the SDM has recommended stern action against the principal and the pradhan.
Earlier, when contacted district magistrate brushed aside the issue saying: “the matter has come to my notice but no one has approached me yet with a complaint.”