An FIR was registered on Sunday against the managers of two schools in UP’s Muzaffarnagar for alleged molestation of 17 class 10 students of a private recognized school, who were taken from home on the pretext of CBSE practical exams.
One of the accused is the manager of the school where the girls studied, while the other is the manager of the school where they were taken. The two are yet to be arrested even after more than a fortnight has elapsed since the alleged incident.
On the night of November 17, the girls were allegedly fed sedatives and molested. The incident came to light when the parents of the two victims reached out to them recently. BJP Purkaji MLA Pramod Utwal. The station in-charge of the police station area under which the school falls has been removed.
District education officials have confirmed the incident. Sources said that both the accused escaped from the crime as the parents are very poor and they did not question the girls being taken for examination. According to the FIR, 17 fell unconscious after consuming intoxicants, and returned home the very next day. They were threatened that they would not talk to anyone or that their family members would be killed.
MLA Utwal said that after contacting the parents, they contacted SSP Abhishek Yadav and investigation was initiated. Yadav said the allegations were found to be true.
“We have sent the in-charge of the concerned station to the police lines and have started a departmental inquiry against him. We are probing the matter and hope to arrest the culprits soon.
The new in-charge of the police station said, ‘We have raided the possible hideouts of the criminal. We have formed two teams to find them. Apart from relevant sections of the IPC, the convicts have been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act.
According to the FIR, the manager of the girls’ school contacted their parents on November 17 and told them that they were going to accompany them to a different school for a practical exam for class 10. Boys living in the same class were not contacted. ,
Utwal told Indian Express: “The incident got delayed due to the casual attitude of the regional police. The victims are from economically weaker section families and were threatened. The girls are in so much panic that they have not gone to school since the night of November 17. We will ensure strictest punishment to the accused. If they don’t surrender in time, their families will also have to face the music. ,
According to the MLA, both the schools were allowed to conduct classes only up to class VIII, but they had admitted students up to class 10.
School’s district inspector Gajendra Kumar said: “We will approach CBSE authorities to cancel the recognition of both the schools.”
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