After the incident, several parents did not send their children to school; the police have arrested the accused
The child said the accused touched her inappropriately while taking her to the washroom. Representation pic
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Yet another student has fallen victim to sexual abuse while at school, this time at the hands of a woman staffer. A four-year-old was allegedly sexually assaulted by a female peon, 58, at a school in Mazgaon. The entire school was rocked by the crime, which came to light yesterday, following which many parents did not send their children to school.
The school suspended the staffer immediately, and after the survivor's parents filed a complaint at Byculla police station, the accused was arrested. The girl's parents overheard her telling a cousin about the abuse. They then had a long talk with the child, when she told them that the peon had touched her inappropriately while taking her to the washroom.
The parents took the survivor for medical examination. "We took the child to a gynaecologist for detailed inspection. The doctors said that the hymen was not intact, and there was also an infection in her private parts. We immediately approached the school, which has been supportive," said the girl's parents. They added that they had observed a change in her behaviour in the past week - an unwillingness to go to school, complaints of stomach pain, and unusual aggression.
Principal says
"We have taken necessary action following the parents' complaint. The child identified the lady peon, who is part of the support staff for younger children. She touched the child inappropriately while taking her to the washroom, which is one of the responsibilities of the support staff. We have suspended the peon with immediate effect, pending inquiry," said the school principal.
When asked about the police complaint, the principal responded, "We shall be open for all support required from us for police investigation." The principal further said, "We have been very particular about the child protection code of conduct in our school. We have a complete manual for it, and all the teaching and non-teaching staff is given training. We also conduct two meetings a year to reiterate the code of conduct."
When asked whether there have been other complaints against the accused, the principal said, "She is an old staff member. She is due for retirement next year, and has been associated with the school for almost 25 years now. Being such an old staff member, there have been some instances of scolding a child. However, there has not been anything similar to this in the past."
Parents panic
Messages about the abuse have since gone viral on social media, pushing parents into a state of panic. Many did not send their children to school on Monday. However, the school held a parent-teacher meeting to clear all the confusion. "This is the first time we have heard something like this. However, the parents received some clarity after the PTA meeting," said one of the parents.
DCP (Zone III) Virendra Mishra said, "As soon as we received the complaint, we detained the accused. We have now arrested her under the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. She will be produced in court on Tuesday."
Also Read: Woman caretaker held for molesting minor girl in school
Inputs by Anurag Kamble
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