School in Ludhiana Booked for Concealing Molestation Case

Ludhiana Police has booked a school and the principal, eight days after a girl was molested by a class IV worker of the school. Following a formal complaint by parents of a three-year-old girl from LKG, police filed FIR and suspect was identified as Naresh, a gardener.

The school authorities failed to submit a satisfactory reply to the notices the police had sent to them, following which the FIR was filed.

The police have booked the school under Section 202 (intentional omission to give information of offence by person bound to inform), 176 (omission to give notice or information to public servant by person legally bound to give it), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the IPC.

The two notices that were issued by the Police Commissioner R N Dhoke were regarding an explanation by the school as to why they didn’t report the incident. The other notice was questioning whether the school got a verification of the accused done before hiring.

The reply from the school for the notices said that they had told the police about this case on the 3^rd of June. As for the verification, the gardener had been working in the school for 12 years.

"Both replies given by the school were not satisfactory. The incident happened on May 31 and the school was aware of it as they had suspended the accused on the same day. Secondly, the school ought to get the verification of each employee done. Though the school got the verification of all teachers done, it didn't do so in case of the gardener and other class IV employees," Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Dhruman Nimbale told Times of India.

The school was unaware of the home address, native place and the background of the accused. The accused fled from his home after the police traced his house. Claiming the principal and the staff of the school as the guardian of the child, the DCP said that the school has been booked for not reporting the incident to the police intentionally. The report was not filed even after a parents’ protest outside the school on 3^rd June.

On Saturday, parents protested and submitted a complaint to the police alleging that girls aged 3 to 6 from primary section were being sexually assaulted and molested by the class IV staff of the school.

Picture Credits: IndiaTimes

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