A Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) court in Dehradun pronounced punishment to a senior student, three others and school management in 2018’s gang rape case of a girl in the school campus. The court announced the judgment in Dehradun on Monday. Senior student Sabarjeet was served a 20-year rigorous punishment and school director & principal were served three-year imprisonment. Three minors, involved in the gang rape, will spend three years in a juvenile home.
Justice Rama Pandey of the Pocso court announced the judgment and imposed a penalty of Rs ten Lakh on the school. Sabarjeet and three others were involved in the gang rape of the girl student at the storeroom of the GRD World School at Bhauwala in Dehradun in August 2018. The court served school director Lata Gupta, Principal Jitendra Sharma, chief administrative officer Deepak Malhotra, and Tanu Mullick three year punishment for hiding and destroying evidence. The three were also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 each.
In August 2018, a sensational case of the gang rape of a girl student by seniors in school campus created ripples in Dehradun. With the victim girl approached the school management, they began harassing her and even threatening to rusticate the victim. One month after the incident, the victim girl became pregnant and the school management took her to a private hospital and she was provided abortion pills. The victim shared this information with her sister-who informed her parents. The parents lodged a police complaint. Four boys and five administrative staff of the school were arrested in 2018.
When a primary investigation team of Child Welfare Committee (CWC) reached the GRD World School on 9 September 2018 night they had to struggle- due to the silence maintained by the girl. The team interrogated the school staff and one hinted about a small incident of molestation being taking place. This vital link helped the CWC expose the incident.