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Gurdaspur rape: Private school MD held, prime accused yet to be identified
Gurdaspur Sadar station house officer sent to police lines two days after four-year-old LKG student allegedly raped on school premises
The managing director (MD) of a private school in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district was arrested on Saturday, two days after a four-year-old girl student was allegedly raped on the premises.
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The MD was booked under Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). However, the identity of the main accused is still to be ascertained.
With the arrest of the school MD, the parents of the victim and local residents lifted their protest from the Amritsar-Pathankot national highway. The highway was blocked since Friday morning, demanding action against the school management and the arrest of the main accused.
Gurdaspur Sadar station house officer (SHO) Harmeet Singh has also been sent to the police lines.
“We have examined all closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs) in and outside the school premises, but have not found any suspect. The school staff was also questioned, but we haven’t got any clue about the main suspect. The school has all women staff. We have also shown the CCTV footage to the parents of the child. The school is divided into two sections — one is for up to Class 3 students and the other is for Classes 4 to 12 students. Both the sections are separate and no one is allowed to enter in each-other’s section,” said a police official.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Harjit Singh said the child stayed on the school premises for around five hours. “We are re-examining the CCTV footage of the school premises. We are working to identify the main accused,” he added.
A student of LKG was allegedly raped on the premises of a private school in Gurdaspur, leading to protest by victim’s parents and residents demanding closure of the school on Friday.
The incident came to the light on Thursday night when the victim complained of pain to her mother. Police have registered a case under Section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against unidentified persons at the Gurdaspur city police station.
“My daughter complained of pain around 10pm on Thursday. When I checked, she was bleeding,” the victim’s mother had said.
She told about it to her husband and also called a teacher of the school. “We took our daughter for a medical check-up where we were informed that someone tried to rape her. The institute from where we conducted her check-up also informed the police,” she said.
On Friday morning, the parents and city residents blocked traffic outside the school and demanded its immediate closure. “It is the responsibility of the school management to protect our children. It can happen with other children too. We want strict action against the accused and the school management. The school should be sealed,” the victim’s mother said.
