Woman teacher accused of sexually assaulting 6-year-old girl
A woman teacher from a school in RT Nagar police station limits in north Bengaluru was accused of allegedly sexually assaulting a 6-year-old girl on Friday afternoon
Police said the child confirmed the assault. “We’re waiting for the child to identify the teacher. She has been sent to Nimhans for a medical examination,” said a senior officer.
The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (Pocso) is gender neutral and its provisions will be invoked even if the assailant is a woman. “We haven’t detained any teacher yet as it’s premature to do without the child identifying the assailant. The incident happened between 10.30am and 2.30pm on Friday,” an officer said. The complaint was lodged on Friday evening after the girl complained of pain in the private parts, he added.
There are signs of sexual assault, police said. The school is being run by a woman whose husband has a bakery in the neighbourhood. Following the complaint, some teachers were detained for questioning.
Police commissioner MN Reddi confirmed that no one has been arrested. “We’re closely examining the case and will go by the victim’s version for further action. Until we receive confirmation based on the medical report, we can’t proceed further.
As the suspect is a woman, we cannot arrest her and keep the woman in the police station as per the guidelines of the Supreme Court,” said a police officer. On Saturday morning, there was chaos outside the school.
A large number of parents gathered there, demanding action against the teacher. Police rushed reinforcements to keep troublemakers at bay. Fearing trouble, the school management declared a holiday on Saturday.