Rajasthan govt school lab assistant held for raping girl student for six months

Police said the incident came to light when the girl refused to go to the school and her parents inquired about the reason for her decision

The Rajasthan police on Sunday arrested a 26-year-old lab assistant of a government school in Kekari for allegedly raping a 15-year-old girl student for the last six months, said an official familiar with the matter.

Police said an investigation is underway. (Representative image)

According to police, the incident came to the fore when the girl refused to go to the school and her parents inquired about the reason for her decision.

“Being forced by the parents, the girl opened up about the incident and said that the lab assistant, identified as Tej Vardhan Prajapat, had been raping the girl for the last six months,” said the deputy superintendent of police (DSP) in Kekari circle, Sanjay Singh Champawat, quoting the first information report (FIR) lodged by her father on Saturday.

The girl also said that Prajapat, who has been working in the school for over five years, used to threaten her on the pretext of circulating her “indecent video” on social media if she disclosed the matter to anyone, the DSP added.

Police filed a case against Prajapat under Section 376 (punishment for rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 5/6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The DSP further said that the school authority has denied any knowledge regarding the matter as the girl never came up to complain against the man to the school authority.

“However, we have held the man and further investigation is underway,” said the official.