- Wednesday, April 24, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
IN a shocking incident, 17 girls of Standard 10 from Muzaffarnagar district of the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh have alleged that they were drugged and molested by the principal of their schools and his associate who asked them to stay in the school building to prepare for “practical exams” which were scheduled in another school in the same area the following day.
Indian news channel NDTV cited the state police saying that the incident happened on November 18.
A first information report (FIR) has been filed in the case and five teams were set up to arrest the accused, the police said.
“We have suspended the station house officer of the police station for negligence on duty. An FIR has been filed and the accused charged under sections 328 (outraging the modesty of a woman), 358 (causing hurt by poison), 506 (criminal intimidation) and relevant sections of the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act,” Muzaffarnagar police chief Abhishek Yadav said.
The girls’ parents, however, alleged that their complaint was filed only after local lawmaker of Uttar Pradesh assembly Pramod Utwal intervened.
“Principal Yogesh got the 16-17 girls to come over on the pretext of practical exams…The girls were made to write a copy, thereafter they were asked to stay the night. They were told there will be more practicals the next day. The girls then made khichdi, which the principal said was undercooked. He then made it himself and fed the girls. The girls lost consciousness after eating khichdi (kedgeree). And then they were molested,” according to the complaint.
“The children were given sedatives. There are 29 students in the class, but only girls were called,” another complainant said, adding that strict action should be taken against the school for running illegal classes as it did not have permission for the same.
When asked whether the board had announced dates for practical examinations, one of the girls said they were not aware but were made to write a copy. When asked which practical examination it was, she said, “Hindi practical.”
“Chedkhani hui by principal sir (We were molested by the principal sir). There were 17 of us. We made khichdi, the principal said it was undercooked. They called us saying there were practical exams,” one of the girls who were allegedly molested said.
The girls also said that they were being pressurised to not speak about the incident, the report added.
