Minor raped in Nerul school

Mumbai: A 13-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her schoolteacher, Raj Shukla, in Nerul in April, following which the parents approached the police, who dissuaded them twice from registering a complaint. The police sent teams to Delhi and Uttar Pradesh to nab the teacher who has been absconding for over a month. According to the survivor’s father, the teacher had allegedly raped his daughter for the second time in August, but the police did not file an FIR against him and instead questioned his daughter’s version.

Navi Mumbai police commissioner Hemant Nagrale on Tuesday suspended an assistant police inspector of the Nerul police station, H.D. More for his alleged lapses in dealing with the survivor’s father’ complaints.

Meanwhile, the Navi Mumbai police detained the school’s principal, Savita Gulati, to verify allegations against her pertaining to her alleged inaction towards the father’s complaints against the teacher. Mr Nagrale said, “We have traced the accused’s cell phone number. The investigation has been handed over to crime branch officials.” The police eventually filed an FIR in October when the father approached them again on discovering his daughter was pregnant. The teacher had allegedly raped the girl in the school’s bathroom. The girl’s pregnancy was terminated by the family in October.

According to the survivor’s father, when he had approached the school’s principal in April for his alleged rape of his daughter, she had only shifted the teacher from the school to the junior college located in the same compound. The teacher again raped the girl in August.

Narrating the family’s ordeal for the past nine months, the survivor’s father said, “Shukla had allegedly threatened my girl, saying that he would harass her younger brother who is studying in same school in the primary division. We approached Ms Gulati and she told us that teacher would not do anything of the sort.”

He added, “But, in August my daughter said Shukla raped her after she entered the school toilet. We then went to the Nerul police station but at that time More tried to convinced us that teacher was innocent. Towards the end of September, my daughter experienced stomachaches, which was when we learned she was pregnant. We approached the police yet again and told them about the pregnancy.” The father added, “The matter didn’t stop here. We were called by the principal and they tried to influence us, saying they had contacts with ‘senior people’ and no one would take action against the teacher.”

Local political activist, Dilip Ghodekar, whose help was sought by the survivor’s family said, “The Navi Mumbai police was sleeping on such a serious case and it finally woke up after Shiv Sena MP Rajan Vichare met Mr Nagrale on Monday and narrated the incident.”

Mr Vichare said, “The terrible part is the police giving a chance to the accused to apply for anticipatory bail. The police should take strict action against the school management who aided the accused.”

A rape case was registered against the teacher at the Nerul police station under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.