3.11 PM Tuesday, 19 March 2024
  • City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
  • Dubai 05:07 06:20 12:29 15:54 18:33 19:47
19 March 2024

India outraged afresh after girl raped in school toilet

Published
By AFP

Thousands protested in the resort state of Goa after the rape of a seven-year-old girl in a school toilet sparked fresh outrage in India on Tuesday, following a deadly gang-rape on a bus.

Crowds began gathering outside the Deepvihar High School in the city of Vasco da Gama on Monday night after news of the attack emerged, prompting police to arrest the headmistress on charges of negligence and appeal for calm.

A massive hunt has been launched for the attacker, thought to be in his early 20s, who managed to get into the premises despite guards posted at the gate.

A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP the youngster was raped after being dragged inside the toilet next to the headmistress's office during a break in classes.

Police were alerted after the girl complained of pain and was given a medical examination.

She was taken to hospital and has since been discharged, a charity worker accompanying her told AFP, adding she was recuperating at home.

Thousands of people surrounded the school on Monday night, shouting demands for the arrest of the headmistress and the perpetrator.

Demonstrations spread to other parts of the city on Tuesday, with shops and businesses closing in protest.

Goa's Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar visited the scene to try and calm the tense gathering.

"We will not spare the accused and anyone involved in this crime," he told the crowds, after which the headmistress was detained. She was later arrested for negligence of duty, the police official said.

The case has been transferred from local police to the state crime branch, which has asked a teacher to help draw a sketch of the accused, seen loitering in the school compound.

Deputy Inspector General of Goa police O.P. Mishra told reporters a special investigation team was working on the "very sensitive case", while neighbouring state forces had been alerted about the suspect.

The attack comes after the gang-rape of a student on a bus in New Delhi last month sparked nationwide protests and fuelled nationwide anger over the alarming incidence of sexual assault.

Five men and a teenager have been charged with the rape and murder of the 23-year-old woman, who died 13 days later in a Singapore hospital from horrific injuries.

Police say the suspects lured the woman and her male companion onto a private bus in the capital when the pair were returning home from the cinema.

The group allegedly beat the man and raped the young woman in the back of the bus while driving around the city for about 45 minutes.

They also sexually assaulted the woman with a metal bar, leaving her with severe intestinal injuries, before throwing her out of the vehicle.

Protesters across the country have called for tougher laws to punish rapists, including the introduction of capital punishment in the most extreme cases.

In a separate case, a New Delhi court on Tuesday sentenced a 60-year-old man to death for sexually assaulting and killing a three-year-old in the capital's southwest in 2011.

The accused, who goes by the single name of Bharat, was a private security guard, lawyers present at the trial told AFP.
 

 

 

A seven-year-old girl has been raped in a school toilet in the Indian holiday state of Goa, sparking mass protests and the arrest of her headmistress, police said on Tuesday.

The incident was reported in the city of Vasco da Gama on Monday, sparking a massive manhunt to trace the accused, thought to be in his early 20s.

"The girl was raped inside the school toilet during recess," a police official told AFP, requesting not to be named. He said the toilet was situated next to the headmistress's office at Deepvihar High School, which has a primary section.

Thousands of people surrounded the school on Monday night demanding the arrest of headmistress and the perpetrator, who is yet to be found.

The headmistress, whose name has been withheld to protect the girl's identity, was initially detained and later arrested for alleged negligence of duty, the police official said.

The arrest comes after the gang-rape of a student on a bus in New Delhi last month sparked nationwide protests and fuelled anger across India over the alarming incidence of sexual assault.

Five men and a teenager have been charged with the rape and murder of the 23-year-old woman, who died 13 days later in a Singapore hospital from horrific injuries.

Also in Goa on Monday, a policeman was arrested accused of sexually abusing sex workers, who said he and two other policemen -- all now suspended -- had been sexually exploiting them in return for protection of their trade.

 

Goa policeman arrested for abusing sex workers

A policeman was arrested in the Indian resort state of Goa on Monday accused of sexually abusing sex workers, an inspector said.

Constable Waman Naik was arrested after he and two other policemen were suspended from duty on December 6, following a complaint lodged to the crime branch by two women operating in the western state's tourist belt.

"We will be producing him for remand tomorrow," police inspector Sunita Sawant told AFP.

Both the sex workers alleged that the policemen had been sexually exploiting them in return for protection of their trade.

In a complaint filed to the court they said the men had "forceful sexual intercourse with them, attempted to extort protection money and demanded sexual favours from them in 2010-11".

An investigation is still ongoing into the other policemen involved, Sawant said.

The arrest comes after the gang-rape of a student on a bus in New Delhi last month sparked nationwide protests and fuelled anger across India over the alarming incidence of sexual assault.

Five men are on trial in the capital charged with the rape and murder of the 23-year-old woman, who died 13 days later in a Singapore hospital from horrific injuries.