The rape of a four-year-old girl at Hyderabad BSD DAV School takes a new turn as The New Indian Express sources found that the CCTV cameras were not functional. Hence, there is no CCTV footage which could be treated as evidence. But the parents allege that the footage may have been deleted even before the police could get their hands on it.
Then, what are the police saying? They remained tight-lipped and said they still didn't analyse the footage still and are yet to do so. Since there was no camera in the digital classroom, the victim's statement will do, said a police officer, which is yet to be recorded. Additionally, the police have to be reliant on oral evidence by questioning the staff who have regular access to the digital room, other staff and faculty in the classroom close by.
When did the incident happen?
The horrific incident was reported on October 18 by the victim's parents where Rajini Kumar, the driver for the school principal, has been accused of raping the victim for the last two months and raping her in the lab opposite the principal's chamber on Monday, October 17.
The mother of the victim felt suspicious when her child was crying while changing her clothes and told her not to touch certain parts of her body as they were painful. Additionally, the child was reportedly not allowing her father to come close to her. Acknowledging this when the mother asked the child to explain what happened, the mother was devasted.
Following this, both parents rushed to the school and manhandled the driver of the school principal. Further, the police have taken the driver and principal into custody on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Further, the police have collected CCTV footage and are looking for other material evidence. Also, the police filed a petition in the court seeking their custody for a week.
Cancel of permission and subsequent measures
Moreover, on October 21, the Telangana Education Minister directed the District Education Officer (DEO) to immediately cancel BSD DAV Public School's permission in this regard. Further, the Minister requested the remaining students of the school to make arrangements for admissions in the neighbouring schools so as to not disturb this academic year. The Minister assured that the responsibility of clearing parents' doubts with this will be borne by an officer of the District Education Department.
In order to avoid the recurrence of such incidents, the Minister said a committee headed by the Education Secretary will be formed to advise the government on the security measures to be taken. The Minister stated that the committee will submit its report within a week. Based on this report, measures will be taken for ensuring the safety of the students, she added.
