Rajasthan: Alleged Sexual Assault on Student by School Principal; NHRC Issues Notice

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to the Rajasthan government and the state police over the alleged sexual assault of six students by a government school principal. The children, aged between nine and 12, were students of a school in Rajasthan’s Dungarpur district, according to police. The principal has been arrested.

The commission has observed that the contents of a media report, if true, amount to human rights violation of the students. The NHRC said accordingly, it has issued notices to the chief secretary and the director general of police of Rajasthan calling for a detailed report of the matter within four weeks.

It should also include the status of the FIR registered by police, action taken against the principal, and compensation, if any, granted to the victims, it said. The commission would also like to know if any counselling has been provided to the victims who have suffered this trauma, the notices said.

On Sunday, police had said that Ramesh Chandra Katara was arrested on June 3 on charges under the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Superintendent of Police (Dungarpur) Kundan Kawaria had said the victims reported the matter to police on May 31. In their complaint, the students alleged that Katara called them to school even during the summer vacation on the pretext of extracurricular activities and raped them.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Rakesh Sharma, who is investigating the case, had said interrogations revealed that the accused raped the students and also took them to his newly-constructed home. The victims’ medical examinations have been conducted and their statements recorded, he had said.