Vibgyor school rape case: Parents enraged

Bangalore: Hundreds of enraged parents Friday demanded arrest of the two teachers accused of sexually assaulting a six-year-old student in a private school here, even as the Karnataka government directed the ICSE board to cancel the school's recognition.

"We want the two accused arrested and tried in a fast-track court to do justice to the child victim. Why are they (police) not acting fast? How long they want to interrogate the accused," Nandish Reddy, a parent of a ward reading in the school, told IANS here.

Though the horrifying incident occurred July 2 in the premises of Vibgyor High School, it came to light July 15 when the victim's parents lodged a complaint with police, as the school management failed to act against the accused.

State commissioner for public instruction Mohammad Mohsin said: "We have written a letter to the ICSE (Indian Certificate of Secondary Education) board to cancel the recognition it granted to Vibgyor High School, in which a minor student was allegedly sexually assaulted by two of its staff members."

The commissioner also issued a show-cause notice to the school why no objection certificate (NOC) issued to it by the state government should not be withdrawn in light of the horrific crime on a minor student.

"I have also asked the Bangalore south zone deputy director of public instruction to inquire into the incident and submit a report at the earliest to me," Mohsin added.

Protests continued in front of the posh school Friday, as hundreds of Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists joined the parents and sought action against the management for failing to provide safety to students.

The parents sought the arrest of the accused, as police only detained them for interrogation after the victim's parents filed a complained against them. The school has remained shut since Thursday.

Meanwhile, state Home Minister K.J. George said the accused would be arrested Saturday as the police had conclusive leads in the sexual assault case.

"As the investigation team gathered conclusive evidence against the accused, they will be arrested Saturday," George told reporters after an hour-long meeting with top police officials in the presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

The high-level meeting also decided to direct police to register the first information report (FIR) in all rape cases soon after a victim files complaint with police across the state.

"We will soon set up fast-track courts cross the state to try all rape cases expeditiously to convict and punish the guilty. We will also increase the number of women police force and provide additional vehicles to step up patrolling during beats," George added.

Earlier, Reddy said: "There is an attempt to destroy evidence and hush up the crime. We suspect the school management is trying to protect the accused, as it failed to register a case when the minor told her class teacher July 9 that she was sexually abused by the sports teacher and physical instructor in a room."

"We will not allow the school to hold classes till the accused are arrested and police file a case against its management for criminal negligence," said Reddy, a former legislator from the opposition BJP from K.R. Puram in the city's eastern suburb.

In a related development, lawmakers of opposition BJP staged a walkout from the state legislative assembly in the city, protesting the failure of the ruling Congress party in ensuring safety of girls and women in the city.

The agitated lawmakers also sought the resignation of the home minister for the steady rise in crimes against women across the state.