BANGALORE: A six-year-old girl was sexually assaulted twice in the course of the week at a school in Indiranagar.
Police on Thursday detained Jaishankar (37), a Hindi teacher, based on a description provided by the victim. Angry parents mobbed the Jeevanbimanagar police station soon after news of the crime broke in the evening.
On Tuesday, the mother noticed a swelling on the child’s private parts, but ignored it, mistaking it for an insect bite.
When the girl returned from school on Wednesday, she had difficulty walking. The mother took her to a private hospital, where doctors confirmed she had been sexually assaulted.
On Thursday, the mother took her to C V Raman General Hospital in Indiranagar. Before that hospital could conduct any further tests, they received a call from the Jeevanbimanagar police, who had heard from the private hospital. On Thursday, the girl’s mother filed a complaint with the police. By evening, they had picked up Jaishankar. He initially denied the charge, a source said.
No Safety Measures
Cambridge is among the schools against whom the police had filed FIRs for failure to comply with child safety guidelines.
Alok Kumar, Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), told reporters, “Even after we booked them, they did little to step up security. They have only made cosmetic changes, like installing a CCTV camera.”
Soon after the incident was reported on the Kannada news channels, parents gathered at the police station to know what had happened. “My daughter is in LKG, and as soon as I heard about the incident, I came here. I am worried,” said Arvind Kumar, a businessman. The crowd swelled and began demanding that Jaishankar be brought before them so that they could “teach him a
lesson”. The police tried to chase the crowd out. Upset further, parents and others who had gathered in their support attempted to throw themselves across the road and block it. Around 11 pm, the police caned the crowd and dispersed it.
The crime brings to mind the sexual assault on a three-year-old girl at Orchids School in Jalahalli on October 21. In July, a six-year-old was assaulted at Vibgyor, Marathahalli.
Will support probe: management
Cambridge School, where the crime took place, has said it will co-operate with the investigation. “During this traumatic period, we stand by the family and our student. Our educational institution is absolutely non-tolerant towards such inhuman conduct. We would like to extend our support to the relevant authorities to bring justice to the child and her family and the culprit to be severely punished,” a statement said. The school has announced it will remain closed on Friday.