Bengaluru: The Principal of a play-school, where a three-year-old child had complained last week of molestation, has been booked now under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), and could face a jail term of up to a year.
This comes after six complaints were registered by parents of children studying in the school in the upmarket suburb of Whitefield, and after nearly a week of outraged protests by parents who have been claiming that the police has not taken enough action against school authorities.
The complaints were filed against a school attendant -- 24-year-old Manjunath -- who is now behind bars after he was arrested on Monday.
In the first complaint filed last Friday, parents of a three-year-old girl had alleged that their daughter had come home complaining of pain in her private parts. When they took her to a hospital, they realised she had been molested. She had later told them that 'Manju bhaiyya' in the school had harmed her.
The parents said school authorities had initially dissuaded them from filing a police complaint. They even refused to believe the parents, defending Manjunath instead, saying he could do no such thing, the parents said.
Once other parents started talking to their children about whether they were uncomfortable in the school, they realised there were other victims.
"It is not an isolated incident. We have taught our children what is good touch and bad touch. After we came to know of this, we spoke to our child, and asked whether Manju Bhaiyya had done anything bad. She told us what happened," one parent told CNN-News18.
School Principal Dr Veena, zonal manager Kingston D Souza and another school official Praveen were arrested for failing to comply with guidelines on child safety issued by the police. Booked under section 188 of the IPC (disobeying orders of a public servant), they are currently out on bail.
The management of the school has been booked under section 21 of the Pocso Act, which holds responsible any person who fails to report the sexual offences against children who are in his/ her charge.
Since Tuesday, parents have been holding protests in front of the school and the police station, for not taking action against school authorities thus far, for trying to hush up the matter and defend the accused. They even got into verbal altercations with the management over being denied access to CCTV footage from the school. They have also launched online campaigns.
Manjunath had been working at the school for the past eight years and lived in the same building. “While parents were strictly restricted from entering the school, he was allowed in and out of the premises," said an aggrieved parent.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Whitefield Division) M Narayan however said the charge of police apathy is misplaced. “It is not right to accuse that we did not act. We did act on time and arrested the accused on same day. Some more parents have come forward and given their complaint now. We registered cases accordingly," he said.
“The Pocso Act is clear that any male member cannot be allowed inside the school premises. This was a clear violation. They could be imprisoned for six months under the act," he added.
Additional Commissioner (East) Hemanth Nimbalkar said three FIRs have been taken up against the school, apart from the six cases against Manjunath.
But activists are unhappy with the police attitude. "The police initially booked the school only under negligence, which is bailable. But this is more serious. Also, the children have been called to the school or the police station to record their statements, when the law says police officials should talk to them in a kid-friendly environment. These are small kids, traumatised by the experience," pointed out one activist.
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