Express News Service
BHOPAL: Four top officials of a prominent private school in Bhopal have been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act 2020. The Bhopal police acted against the school’s chairperson, director (operations), principal and the transport in-charge under Section 188 IPC and Section 21 of POCSO Act late Thursday night, after a nursery student was allegedly sexually assaulted by the driver inside the school bus on Sept 8.
A police officer said the four were booked after hours of questioning of at least 30 staff members of the school where 2,200 students study. The police said the four officials were prima facie responsible for the non-functioning CCTV camera installed in the bus and covering up the matter for three days in the name of internal probe.
“Though the parents reported the matter to the school administration on Sept 9, instead of reporting it to the police immediately, the school administration misled them in the name of conducting an internal probe. It was on Sept 12 that the family approached the police,” said an officer.
The police arrested the school bus driver and a female caretaker on Sept 12. Police Commissioner Makarand Deouskar has formed a special investigation team, which is working to file a charge sheet within 10 days.
Meanwhile, the MP State Commission for Child Rights has also taken up the issue. “Two more nursery students could have been sexually assaulted, as their uniforms were also changed inside the same school bus the same day,” Brajesh Chouhan, the Commission’s member, said.“Though CCTV camera was installed in the bus, its digital video recorder didn’t have any memory card. Also, the GPS system of the bus hadn’t been updated. It was among the 10 buses of the school, whose GPS system was awaiting an update,” said Chouhan.
The child rights body whose team spent around nine hours at the school on Thursday, also said that the accused possibly had no experience of operating a school bus. “Also, the counselling of the girl by a state-certified counsellor suggests that the driver could have molested her previously too. We will write to the police to investigate these aspects also,” said Chouhan.
BHOPAL: Four top officials of a prominent private school in Bhopal have been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act 2020. The Bhopal police acted against the school’s chairperson, director (operations), principal and the transport in-charge under Section 188 IPC and Section 21 of POCSO Act late Thursday night, after a nursery student was allegedly sexually assaulted by the driver inside the school bus on Sept 8.
A police officer said the four were booked after hours of questioning of at least 30 staff members of the school where 2,200 students study. The police said the four officials were prima facie responsible for the non-functioning CCTV camera installed in the bus and covering up the matter for three days in the name of internal probe.
“Though the parents reported the matter to the school administration on Sept 9, instead of reporting it to the police immediately, the school administration misled them in the name of conducting an internal probe. It was on Sept 12 that the family approached the police,” said an officer.
The police arrested the school bus driver and a female caretaker on Sept 12. Police Commissioner Makarand Deouskar has formed a special investigation team, which is working to file a charge sheet within 10 days.
Meanwhile, the MP State Commission for Child Rights has also taken up the issue. “Two more nursery students could have been sexually assaulted, as their uniforms were also changed inside the same school bus the same day,” Brajesh Chouhan, the Commission’s member, said.“Though CCTV camera was installed in the bus, its digital video recorder didn’t have any memory card. Also, the GPS system of the bus hadn’t been updated. It was among the 10 buses of the school, whose GPS system was awaiting an update,” said Chouhan.
The child rights body whose team spent around nine hours at the school on Thursday, also said that the accused possibly had no experience of operating a school bus. “Also, the counselling of the girl by a state-certified counsellor suggests that the driver could have molested her previously too. We will write to the police to investigate these aspects also,” said Chouhan.
