BANGALORE: The Marathahalli school where a six-year-old was raped on July 3 has appointed a new principal. Roshan M D’Souza replaced Alistair M Laporte as principal of Vibgyor High on Thursday, according to a circular.
Laporte headed the school when the sensational gang-rape was reported, sparking widespread outrage.
However, Laporte will continue to be associated with the Marathahalli branch of the school as an academic adviser.
The management also sent out text messages introducing D’Souza as the new principal.
“Growth brings with it a need for careful planning, concerted effort and great leadership...” its circular stated.
D’Souza comes with 14 years’ experience as an academic. He has served as principal of Vibgyor High in Hyderabad in the last two years.
“As the principal of the school, D’Souza will be completely in charge of the administrative and academic functions henceforth,” school chairperson Rustom Kerawalla has stated in the circular.
Reacting to the decision, a parent said: “If they had done this in July, the school’s stature would have risen. To do it now seems more like an exercise to save the future of the brand.”
At a recent meeting with the Education Department and the police, parents had demanded government intervention to get Laporte and the school’s vice-principal to step aside while the investigation was in progress.
“The removal of Laporte has nothing to do with us. We are inquiring if other staff members had a role to play in the incident,” said K V Sharat Chandra, Joint Commissioner of Police.
Mustafa’s Role
The police have not issued a clean chit to skating instructor Mustafa, the first to be arrested for the rape, Sharat Chandra said. Mustafa was released from custody a couple of weeks after his arrest.
“We are still trying to ascertain whether he had any role to play in the incident,” he said.
Police want to know if Mustafa influenced Lal Giri and Waseem Pasha, the two gym instructors later arrested for the rape, Chandra said. Mustafa’s laptop, on which he had allegedly stored child pornography, has also landed him in trouble.
Asked about the school’s dossier on its 127 staffers, Chandra said it had not thrown up any red flags.