Delhi govt suspends teacher, vice principal over harassment of students

Two boys — students of Class 8 — of a government school in Rohini were sexually assaulted by six of their classmates during a summer camp

The vice-principal and a teacher of a Delhi government school in Rohini where two boys were allegedly sexually assaulted by six classmates in April this year, were suspended on Tuesday after Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday ordered the Directorate of Education (DoE) to take disciplinary action against the school authorities for failing to report the matter to the police.

Following the chief minister’s order, education minister Atishi wrote to the education secretary on Tuesday and said that the teachers concerned and the vice-principal should be suspended immediately. (Representational Image)

Following the chief minister’s order, education minister Atishi wrote to the education secretary on Tuesday and said that the teachers concerned and the vice-principal should be suspended immediately. “While the criminal proceedings into the matter will continue, the concerned teachers and vice principal should be suspended immediately,” Atishi said. She added that it was the government’s responsibility to ensure that children are safe and secure in schools.

Atishi added that Kejriwal has directed DoE to ensure rigorous training of all the principals and teachers on the provisions of Pocso. She said that DoE must prepare high-quality material for reference for all teachers and principals, and issue guidelines for schools to handle cases of abuse in a “supportive environment for children”.

Two boys — students of Class 8 — of a government school in Rohini were sexually assaulted by six of their classmates during a summer camp organised by the school in April, police said on Monday.

While one of the survivors, aged 13, said that he was sexually assaulted at a park near the school, the other survivor, 12, alleged that the same students sexually assaulted him in the school bathroom. Both survivors accused school teachers of asking them not to report the incident to anyone, police had said, adding that a case was registered at Shahbad Dairy police station under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection Of Children against Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act.

The Delhi government called the incident “despicable” and set up an inquiry committee to probe the matter.

“We have to take all possible steps to ensure that such an instance is not repeated in our schools,” Atishi said in the letter on Tuesday.

Senior police officers on Tuesday said that two of the six accused students remain at large, while the others have been apprehended, produced before the child welfare committee (CWC) and sent to a correction home for boys.

A senior police officer who asked not to be named said that more than two teachers were informed about the sexual assault by the survivors or their family members, but they failed to report the crime to the police. “We have identified the teachers and are probing their role in the case,” the officer said.