A 21-year-old owner of a Warkari -training school in Alandi was arrested by Pimpri-Chinchwad police for sodomising an 11-year-old pupil.
The arrested man was identified as Shivprasad Ramnath Bhoknal, a resident of Mauli Varkari Education Society and a native of Vadangli village in Sinnar, Nashik, according to the police.
“The child was going to the training school but for the past two days refused to go there. So, the parents spoke with him in confidence and then he revealed to them that he did not wish to go because of Bhoknal,” said senior police inspector Dnyaneshwar Sable of Alandi police station.
However, why the school was operational with Covid-19 regulations in place is yet to be known. When asked if there were other victims, PI Sable said that the enquiries were on to ascertain that.
Srikant Maharaj, head of an association of such training schools in Alandi called Gurukul Sanghatna, did not have words of support for Bhoknal.
“Only two months ago, I had seen him fighting with the locals at a chowk. He did not have adequate knowledge about Warkari lifestyle to be running a training school. However, we do not have restrictions about who can come to this place of worship and work. This boy is an unmarked orphan and was running the boarding school even though all other schools were shut due to Covid-19. When we went there to ask him about it during his arrest, he started speaking out of turn with us,” said Srikant Maharaj.
A complaint in the matter was lodged by a 35-year-old parent of the child. The child’s parents are labourers from Marathwada.
{{/usCountry}}A complaint in the matter was lodged by a 35-year-old parent of the child. The child’s parents are labourers from Marathwada.
{{/usCountry}}A case under Sections 377 (unnatural offences) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of Indian Penal Code along with Sections 4, 6, and 8 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offence (POCSO) Act was registered at Alandi police station.