The Sukma Police, on 27th July, arrested a 35-year-old man for allegedly raping a 6-year-old girl studying in 1st standard of a government-run school in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district on July 22. The incident was reported to the police on 24th July, leading to the arrest of the hostel superintendent as well for delaying the reporting of the crime.
The accused is the husband of the peon in the school. He allegedly raped the girl in the hostel of the Ashram school, a residential facility that admits students of Scheduled Tribes and has classes up to the secondary level of education.
A case was registered against him under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.Â
An official gave a statement saying the accused is unemployed and has been staying with his wife, who is a peon in the Ashram school, for a year. He said that this shouldn’t have been permitted as he is not an employee of the school, hence shouldn’t have been allowed to live inside the Ashram. He informed that the police thought at first that someone trespassed, but later they realised that someone who already has all the necessary information about the Ashram could be the culprit.Â
The Superintendent of Police, Kiran Chavan, said that they made a team of eight members and went around questioning almost 50 people. They looked for technical evidence and based on the things they found during their investigation, they were able to narrow down to the accused. The police arrested the hostel superintendent for the failure of reporting the crime in a timely manner under Section 21 of the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act.
Section 21 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 deals with the consequences of failing to report or record a case of sexual offense involving a child.
(1) If anyone fails to report the occurrence of a sexual offense as mentioned in sub-section (1) of section 19 or section 20, or neglects to record such an offense as described in sub-section (2) of section 19, they shall be subject to punishment. The punishment may include imprisonment for a period of up to six months, a fine, or both.
(2) If a person, who holds a position of authority in a company or an institution (regardless of its name), fails to report the occurrence of a sexual offense as outlined in sub-section (1) of section 19, concerning a subordinate under their control, they shall be liable for punishment. The punishment may include imprisonment for a term that can extend to one year and a fine.
(3) It’s important to note that sub-section (1) of this section does not apply to a child protected under this Act.
When Superintendent Chavan was asked if any other student from the 429 girls present in the Ashram had filed a similar complaint after this case came to light, he denied saying that no one has come forward with any complaint.
The accused has been identified as Madvi Hidma, also known as Raju, Chavan informed the press. The hostel staffer arrested in the case is identified as Heena (36-year-old). The residential school is one of the ‘porta cabins’ that are residential schools set up in the villages of the Bastar division that are affected by Left-Wing Extremism (Maoism). Sukma and other nearby districts come under the affected areas. The police works for ensuring women’s safety in these districts and is known to patrol outside the girls’ hostels regularly.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is the opposition in Chhattisgarh, has spoken against the ruling Congress government, claiming that law and order is failing in the state. The BJP also constituted a team of its leaders headed by MLA Ranjana Sahu that went to the Ashram school on July 26.
