A 35-year-old man has been apprehended by the police on Thursday for allegedly raping a Class 1 girl at a government-run residential school in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district last week. According to authorities, the accused is the husband of the school hostel’s peon.
Additionally, the woman superintendent of the school’s hostel was also arrested for allegedly delaying the reporting of the crime to senior authorities and the police.
The incident occurred on the night of July 22, within the premises of the ‘porta cabin’ school located in the Errabor police station area. The victim, a six-year-old tribal girl, was in the hostel at that time.
The accused, identified as Madvi Hidma alias Raju, is the husband of a peon working at the residential school, confirmed Sukma Superintendent of Police, Kiran G Chavan.
After a police complaint was lodged on July 24, a case was registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, including rape on a woman under 12 years of age, house trespass, kidnapping, and voluntarily causing hurt.
To investigate the matter thoroughly, an eight-member team led by Sukma Additional Superintendent of Police Gaurav Mandal was formed. After questioning more than 50 individuals, analyzing mobile phone data, and investigating the crime scene, the police gathered enough evidence to identify the accused. The victim also positively identified the alleged perpetrator.
It was discovered during the investigation that the accused had been residing in the girls’ hostel with his wife, despite it being against the rules, as he was not an employee of the facility. The residential school houses 429 girl students.
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The school’s hostel superintendent, Heena (36), allegedly failed to promptly report the matter to senior authorities and the police, leading to her arrest and the inclusion of additional sections of the IPC and POCSO Act in the FIR.
Authorities have spoken to other girl students at the school to inquire about any other incidents, but no further complaints have surfaced.
Following the incident, the hostel’s superintendent and assistant superintendent were suspended for their alleged role in delaying the report to the police.
Porta cabins are pre-fabricated residential school structures established in Left Wing Extremism-affected villages of the state’s Bastar division, which includes Sukma district.
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Chhattisgarh has criticized the ruling Congress party over the incident and claimed that the law and order situation in the state has deteriorated. To investigate further, the BJP has formed a probe team led by its woman MLA Ranjana Sahu, which visited the residential school on Wednesday.
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