Noida 6-yr-old molested: DIOS recommends removal of headmistress

This action follows a protest by at least 20-30 parents demanding accountability and questioning why the headmistress continues in her position despite assurances given on September 12

The District Inspector of Schools (DIOS) has sought the removal of the headmistress of a private school in Sector 12, Noida, where a six-year-old student was allegedly molested by a daily wage labourer in September, the manager of the school said on Monday.

After the six year old was allegedly molested, the Noida police arrested the 28-year-old prime suspect and investigations revealed that the class teacher along with the school headmistress and school supervisor tried to cover up the incident. (Representational image)

School manager Sourabh Jain stressed that the institution will be following the orders of the DIOS and that “the headmistress won’t be holding her chair from tomorrow”.

“We are following a process and it is not that easy to change a headmistress in the blink of an eye. However, we can assure parents that we have taken the necessary legal steps. DIOS has given us clear instructions that the headmistress will be removed,” Jain said.

This action follows a protest by at least 20-30 parents demanding accountability and questioning why the headmistress continues in her position despite assurances given on September 12 that she would be removed within 15 days.

After the six year old was allegedly molested, the Noida police arrested the 28-year-old prime suspect and investigations revealed that the class teacher along with the school headmistress and school supervisor tried to cover up the incident and also allegedly helped the suspect labourer escape.

This sparked protests by parents and forced the school management to enhance the safety at school, install adequate number of CCTV cameras, besides assuring parents that the headmistress will be removed in 15 days.

Gopal Gaur, a parent, who has been leading the protests said although most demands have been met and safety was enhanced at school, the headmistress continued to remain in her position, even after more than a month from the occurrence of the matter.

“We tried to hold a discussion with the school management, but there was no action. So today (on Monday) we held a sit-in protest outside the school, after which the DIOS and the city magistrate took note of the matter and asked the school manager to act against the headmistress,” Gaur said.

District School Inspector (DIOS) Dr Dharamvir Singh said, “It was the demand of parents and they were worried about the safety and security of their wards. If they do not feel safe with the headmistress around, then it’s better that she is removed as per the parents’ demand.”

HT had reported last month that, according to police, the suspect molested the minor girl on the school premises. The child narrated the incident to her class teacher, who then informed the headmistress and the school supervisor. However, instead of alerting the police, the school authorities informed the contractor who had hired the daily wager, and allegedly facilitated his escape from the scene.