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Bengaluru Rape Story: She was raped at the age of 6, gets justice at 14
On Wednesday, a fast-track court sentenced a former teacher to 20 years in jail for sexually assaulting a six-year-old girl at a city school eight years back.
8 years back, a 6-year-old girl was raped by her Hindi teacher at Indiranagar Cambridge School, in Bengaluru's Indirangar. This week, she finally got justice.
In 2014, when she was raped she didn't even know what had happened to her, it was only when she had complained of irritation in her private parts to the her mother it was revealed that she may have been sexually assaulted. Her mother had taken her to a gynaecologist, who had confirmed ‘rape’ but didn't give it in writing.
Helpless mother had no option but to send her daughter to school the next day. She had tried to seek an explanation from the accused and other teachers, but did not get any response. Working as a housekeeping employee at a private firm she didn't know what her options were. She then confided in her colleague at work who advised her to call the Child Helpline number. After several attempts they got help from an NGO and the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), who helped the family file a complaint.
Police initiated a probe based on complaint filed by the family and arrested the Hindi teacher, after the victim recognised him. Two days later, it was only after police intervention that the hospital conducted a medical test. The accused was charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (Pocso) Act and Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (rape) and arrested on October 30, 2014. Indiranagar Cambridge School will also be charged under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code for failing to follow safety guidelines.
"The accused admitted to the crime. It was an easier case for the police because the victim was very clear in her statements and described the crime, including the crime spot," said N. Satheesh Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East Division).
5 years later, in 2019 he was released on bail. Then arrested again and transferred to Central Prison.
Now, in 2022, when that small girl is 14-years-old she has finally got justice for an offence that may have changed her life. Her predator will now spend the next 20 years in jail and hopefully she will finally get closure and the confidence to move on in life.
