Authorities remaintight-lipped Allegations ofharassment,child abuse atBhilai school
■ Staff Reporter :
BHILAI,
AN ANONYMOUS letter addressed to
the District Education Officer has
revealed serious allegations involving a
reputed school in Risali, Bhilai.
According to the letter, the harassment
claims involve the Head Mistress of the
Junior Wing who is accused of mistreating teachers. Allegations include
publicly insulting staff, making them
wait for hours outside her office, and
threatening to remove classroom chairs,
among other issues.
However, there is another issue of an
alleged sexual assault on a 5-year-old
girl of the same school that has been
widely circulated on social media.
In the child abuse case as per the
social media reports there is an alleged
attempt by the school management and
authorities to suppress the matter. There
is allegation that when the parents
reported the incident to police, instead
of receiving support, they faced pressure to drop the case.
The child abuse case began when the
girl child, a student in KG-I, complained
of pain in her private area upon returning home on July 5. After being questioned, she disclosed that an ‘uncle’ at
school had touched her inappropriately. Her parents sought medical attention immediately; an MD referred them
to a gynecologist, who confirmed bleeding and white discharge. The following
day, when the family approached the
school, the Principal initially agreed to
file an FIR and promised action but later denied that any such incident
occurred. The family claims that the
CCTV footage was destroyed during this
period to cover up the incident.
The girl’s family, prominent local businessmen, found themselves uncertain
about how to proceed. They reportedly informed the matter to a senior officer and a public representative. Despite
the gynaecologist’s findings, which
should have prompted an immediate
medical examination and FIR under the
POCSO Act, the police are reportedly
making excuses.
MiC member Shiju Anthony said that
more than the safety of children the
authorities seems to be more concerned
about damaging the school’s reputation.
The family’s attempts to involve an
MLA were also met with failure, as the
MLA later reneged on his commitment
to act.
Durg Range Inspector General of
Police Ram Gopal Garg, when contacted stated that the police are working on
the case and advised collecting more
details from the SP, Durg. Despite various stories circulating on social media, there has
been no official statement. All attempts by the newspaper to obtain an official version on the subject have been
unsuccessful.
A senior police official from Durg, speaking on condition of anonymity, has denied any sexual assault on the
child in question. However, the medical report mentions
bleeding and a white discharge which is not external. It
has also come to light that the child’s parents met a senior officer in Bhilai but have not filed a formal written
complaint. Following their meeting, a senior female officer was assigned to investigate the matter.
It is reported
that the parents are not permitting the investigating officer to meet the child. Additionally, sources indicate that
the CCTV footage has been preserved and not tampered
with as claimed.
Seema Nayak, Assistant Director District Education
Office Durg head of the team deputed by District Education
Officer Durg A K Mishra to investigate the matter of child
abuse refused to comment on the matter stating she is
not authorised to comment on this issue. Repeated
attempts to contact DEO A K Mishra on his mobile were
unsuccessful, as he was not available for comment