KOLKATA: A parents’ forum formed to seek justice for the four-year-old victim of a sexual assault at a south Kolkata school held a meeting with the school authorities on Tuesday and vowed to continue the stir, including the closure of the school, until principal Sharmila Nath is arrested and expelled from her position.
The parents’ forum had at first refused to attend the meeting and threatened to stage a march till police headquarters Lalbazar if the principal was not arrested by 2 pm on Tuesday. However, they later budged and held the meeting which ended in a deadlock. The school authorities sought time till 5 pm on Wednesday for a final decision. However, the victim’s father was absent during the meeting with the school authorities.
On the other hand, police interrogated principal Sharmila Nath at Lalbazar for over seven hours on Tuesday. Sources revealed that she was asked why women caretakers were not present outside the bathroom at the time of the incident.
According to rules in Kolkata schools, children are taken to toilets by women caretakers called ‘mashi’ or ‘aayah’. The principal was also interrogated about the time when accused teachers Abhishek Roy and Mohammad Mofizuddin left the school on the day of the incident.
A four-year-old nursery student was lured inside the bathroom with chocolates and allegedly sexually assaulted by two physical training teachers at a Kolkata school on November 30. Accused teachers Abhishek Roy and Mohammad Mofizuddin were arrested and sent to 14-day police custody by Alipore court. The victim would undergo another medical examination on Wednesday and her secret statement would be recorded on Thursday.
On the other hand, some 100 outsiders attending the protest at the school on Tuesday morning were evicted by the police after parents of the school students protested against their presence at the venue.
Meanwhile, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday that the accused teachers, if found guilty, should be awarded the highest punishment but also decried the closure of schools. “The guilty teachers should be brought to book and weeded out of the education system. But, some outsiders are taking advantage of the situation and forcing closure of the school. This should end and school should reopen,” she said.