Syed Khalique Ahmed | India Tomorrow
NEW DELHI, JULY 20—Women in more than 10,000 homes all over Kerala protested on Monday against the police dropping rape and other charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against a school teacher who allegedly raped his 10-year-old student several times.
The accused, who happens to be the teacher of the student, is aslo a local BJP leader. The accused is currently on bail. Another accused, who is also a teacher, was, however, not booked at all despite a complaint lodged by girl’s mother in March this year.
The protest led by Women Justice Movement (WHM) is demanding removal of Inspector General(Crime Branch) S Sreejith as investigation in-charge and setting up of a new investigation team led by an efficient lady IPS officer, arrest of both the culprits under POCSO Act and action against the police officers who tried to mislead the investigation.
The Palathayi Upper Primary School under Pannor Municipality in Kannur district where the rape incident took place, is just 15 kms from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s native place and falls in Kuthuparamba assembly constituency represented by Minister for Health, Social Justice and Woman and Child Development K K Shailaja.
The incident happened in January and February this year.
Speaking to India Tomorrow over phone, WJM president Jabeena Irshad said that the culprit identified as Padmarajan K sexually assaulted the 10- year-old girl studying in Std IV several times in school toilet. However, the girl did not tell her mother out of fear as she was threatened that she would be killed if she disclosed it to anybody. When it was a holiday, the teacher called the mother of the girl over phone and asked her to send her daughter to school for extra-coaching classes. But the accused took her to a nearby location where, after raping the girl, he handed her over to another man who also subsequently sexually assaulted her. The second accused also happens to be a teacher. It was after this that the girl informed her mother about the incident.
According to Jabeena, the police registered the case and took a magisterial statement of the girl also to add charges under POCSO against the accused. However, the accused were not arrested.
The culprits were arrested in April only after huge protest by human rights and women activists. But the police, Jabeena said, harassed the family by visiting the girl again and again on the pretext of taking one or the other statement.
“It was after this that the family demanded that the investigation be taken over from the local police and handed over to the Crime Branch”, said Jabeena.
“But even the Crime Branch did not initiate any action. It failed to file chargesheet. After a huge protest, Crime Branch filed a chargesheet just a day before completion of 90 days after registration of FIR. But it was an incomplete chargesheet. It did not mention POCSO and sexual assault. Instead of two accused, the chargesheet mentioned the name of only one accused-Padmarajan K. He was charged under Sections 75 and 82 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 and Sections 323 and 324 of Indian Penal Code and sexual assault charges did not find any mention in the chargesheet”, said Jabeena.
Jabeena said there is lot of anger among the people against the government for not doing justice with the minor girl.
She said that IG Shreejith wa now trying to mislead the people with regard to the crime and investigation.
Jabeena alleged that even Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan did not appear to be serious about the case.
“But we will not stop and continue our movement till the girl gets justice”, she said.
“We also don’t want S Shreejith to continue to supervise the investigations because we feel the girl can’t get justice from him. We want an efficient lady IPS officer to replace Shreejith and supervise the investigations”, she demanded.
IG Shreejith could not be contacted despite several phone calls. There was also no response to text messages sent to him.
