Panipat school girl allegedly sexually assaulted; investigation is underway

Chandigarh: An unidentified man allegedly tried to sexually assault a Class IV girl in the toilet of a private school in Panipat, a senior police official said on Thursday. A case has been registered under various sections of the POCSO Act against the unidentified man after the girl’s father reported the matter to the police on Wednesday, the station house officer of women police station in Panipat, sub-inspector Kavita, told PTI over the phone. “The girl was found crying by her teachers at the school on Wednesday. She insisted on meeting her parents. Her parents were immediately called and she left with them. At home, she narrated her ordeal,” the SHO said. [caption id=“attachment_4066659” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] Kavita said senior police officials visited the school on Thursday to investigate the matter. “We are questioning the teaching and non-teaching staff of the school and trying to verify details from the CCTV cameras,” she said, adding that preliminary investigations suggest that the man tried to sexually assault her but the exact sequence of events is yet to be understood. Panipat District Education Officer (DEO) Udai Pratap also visited the school. “Police officials have questioned the school staff as part of their ongoing probe. The department will take appropriate action against the school if lapses are found,” he said. Pratap said he met the school principal as well and the authorities have promised to cooperate with the investigation. Asked whether closed-circuit cameras were installed outside the toilet, the DEO said, “CCTV cameras are installed at many points in the school and their footage is being scrutinised”. Scores of parents gathered outside the school and protested against the administration. The incident comes close on the heels of the alleged murder of a Class II boy in Ryan International School in Gurugram. Seven-year-old Pradyuman Thakur was found with his throat slit in the school washroom on 8 September. Following the Gurugram incident, the state government asked all schools in Haryana to install CCTV cameras across its premises, form safety committees and ensure transportation facilities for students.