Bangalore rape shocker: Police still looking for child's attacker

Bangalore, Oct 23: Police are sweating out to find vital clues in the alleged sexual assault of a three-year-old child in an elite school here Oct 21 as protests and public pressure intensified Thursday for nabbing the suspects.

"We are hopeful of an early breakthrough in the case from leads we got after interrogating the school management, its staff and students and scanning the footage of CCTV cameras, recording all movements in its premises," Deputy Commissioner of Police T.K. Suresh told IANS.

Clarifying that no arrest was made nor anyone detained so far, Suresh said poluce are yet to identify the perpetrator(s) though the school has a dozen male employees for security, physical education and sports activities.

"As the incident involves a three-year-old child, the case is sensitive and investigation is being done carefully due to constraints in collecting evidence from the minor victim and within the school premises," Suresh said.

Orchid The International School in a Bangalore suburb remains closed since Wednesday till Sunday for Diwali.

Karnataka Public Instruction Commissioner Mohammed Mohsin said the state education department would book a criminal case against the school for violating admission and teaching norms.

"The school has permission to teach in Kannada up to fifth class. But it is teaching in English up to seventh class," Moshin told reporters.

Contrary to the management claims, Moshin asserted that the school was not affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education.

"The management has also been operating a nursery section illegally," Moshin said.

About 100 members of the Youth Congress, who staged a demonstration at the school, smudged its name board with black paint and wet cement when security personnel did not allow them to enter its premises.

"We wanted to meet the management but were not allowed to enter the school. When asked to meet us outside, it did not give any response. We have smeared the school name, as it failed to protect its students," a leader said.

About 50 women activists raised slogans against the school authorities and urged the state government to cancel its licence.

The probe team, headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police Sarah Fatima, has examined the footage, capturing the movement of students, faculty and visitors.

"A cursory viewing of the footage shows no entry of outsiders in the school Tuesday but only teachers and students interacting and moving around. We are cooperating with police to investigate the case," a school official told IANS earlier.

On police directive, the entire staff, including teachers, administrative and security personnel were summoned to school Wednesday for questing.

A case was registered late Tuesday under sections of Pocso Act (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on a complaint by the child's father.

The girl-child was molested when she was in the school. According to the complaint, the girl's mother found her daughter crying and behaving unusual and abnormal when she went to pick her up from the school in the evening.

"The victim had signs of fever and complained to her mother that she was physically abused by someone she did not know or recognise," said the complaint by her father Harpreet Singh.

The latest incident of child molestation in a city school has occurred three months after a six-year-old girl student was allegedly raped in the Vibgyor High school by its gymnastic coach and his assistant.

IANS