A case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has been registered against five persons for allegedly torturing a Class IX student after he refused to have sex with them, Karnataka police said today, Thursday, August 17. According to the officials, the incident took place five months ago inside a hostel of a residential school in the Tumakaru district.

The accused persons include three students from Classes IX and X, the hostel warden and the school principal. The police informed that the accused burnt the victim with cigarettes, made cuts on his body with a blade and attacked him with an iron rod for his refusal to indulge in sexual activities, as per a report by IANS.

After he was attacked with the iron rod, the student became unconscious. He was taken to a hospital in Bengaluru and then shifted to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS) for over a month. Although the incident occurred five months ago, the victim's parents lodged a complaint after he was discharged from the hospital. 

The case has been registered with the Tumakuru Women’s Police Station. Meanwhile, the principal and warden have refuted the allegations against them. Nonetheless, the victim's parents alleged that the principal did not bother to look into the matter even after it escalated.

The police have called the hostel warden the prime accused in the case and the principal the second accused for not initiating action despite the complaint by parents. Investigation into the matter is on, as per IANS.