School Principal Admits Sexual Assault, Calls It Small Mistake

A school principal has brushed off his crime of sexual assault. S Xavier was arrested for sexually assaulting a seven-year-old who attends a school in Koderma district of Jharkhand.

The accused has said that it was just a small mistake since there was no intercourse. Xavier had taken the child to the school toilet, stripped her and touched her inappropriately. When she started crying, he gave her money and told her not to say anything

He said, “Yes I did, but it wasn't such a big mistake. There was no sexual intercourse. Let me be frank, I could not even have done it, I'm old now. It was an accident." 

He also said that he was under a lot of stress and that he had heart troubles.

The police have registered a case under the Indian Penal Code and various sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO). The child has undergone a medical test and police are awaiting its result.

Sexual assault at schools

This isn’t the first case of school teachers assaulting a child. Recently, two PT teachers of a well-known Kolkata school lured a four-year-old girl into the toilet by offering her chocolates and assaulted her. They have been arrested and could face life imprisonment.

Following that incident, the mother of a child from another well-known school in Kolkata has come forward to say that her daughter was molested by school staff. She said the police and school has not done anything about the matter, even after she complained.

More and more incidents of children being harassed at schools are cropping up. This year, a child's murder at Gurugram's Ryan International School shocked the nation. 

Recently, three teachers of an Arunachal Pradesh girls’ school forced 88 students to undress to punish them for writing vulgar words against the head teacher. The incident took place on 23rd November in Papum Pare district’s Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya.

Schools have major security lapses such as untrained staff, no staff supervision in restrooms and no CCTV camerason premises.

Also Read: Mother of Girl Abused at Kolkata School Speaks Up