Maharashtra school tried to cover up crime: Child rights chief
She wondered why the Protection of Children from Sexual Offence (POCSO) Act should not be invoked against the management of the Badlapur school in Thane
A top official in Maharashtra on Wednesday accused the Badlapur school of having tried to cover up the alleged sexual molestation of two kindergarten girls instead of rushing to the police.
The chairman of the Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights said it was a crime that the parents of the two children were made to wait for 11 long hours before a police complaint was filed.
“When I asked the school management about the case, they tried to cover it up,” said Susieben Shah, who heads the child rights body.
‘File POSCO case against school’
She wondered why the Protection of Children from Sexual Offence (POCSO) Act should not be invoked against the school management.
The alleged crime by a male attendant created a volatile situation in Badlapur town in Thane district on Tuesday, with protesting parents and others crippling rail services and clashing with the police.
Shah said the incident was a clear case under the POCSO Act.
Shah’s intervention helped
She said she contacted the Thane District Child Protection Unit about the parents’ concerns after hearing about the case. The Child Protection Unit took the parents to the police to file the complaint.
She said if the school management had promptly alerted the police, the chaotic situation in Badlapur could have been avoided.
“The issue arises from the parents being made to wait for 11 hours.” Despite being apprised of the alleged sexual attack, the principal chose not to contact the police, Shah said.
School’s attempted cover-up
“Instead, she went to the school management,” Shah said, calling the episode a “terrible state of affairs”.
Every district in the state has a Child Protection Unit under the Women and Child Development Department, she said. There is also a Special Juvenile Protection Unit in every police station.
“All the systems, units and committees are in place. We all must make collective efforts to make the system work effectively,” she said.
Shah for systematic approach
Shah also said she would recommend a “structured procedure” for educational institutions to avoid such situations in the state in the future.
“The state should implement such procedures and implement them strictly,” she said.
(With agency inputs)
