Strip-search: Verka visits school; DC, SSP stay away

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Batala, January 14

The Vice-Chairman of the National Commission for SC/ST, Dr Raj Kumar Verka, today visited the Madiala Government Middle School,where nearly 12 girl students were strip-searched by a woman teacher a few days ago. The Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner (DC) and the Batala SSP stayed away.

While the DC, Dr Abhinav Trikha, could not be contacted despite several attempts, the Batala SSP, Inderbir Singh, said he had not received any written communication from Verka’s office asking him to be present in the school today. “I received a phone call from Verka’s personal assistant. I asked the DSP of Sri Hargobindpur to be present during the Vice-Chairman’s visit,” he said.

JS Grewal, Batala SDM, said that he had been instructed by Verka to record the statements of the girl students and the accused teacher, Harjit Kaur, within seven days. “I have been asked to submit my report in a sealed envelope,” he said.

Verka has asked the SSP to arrest the accused teacher within seven days and report to him.

Both the DC and the SSP have been asked to be present in the commission’s office in New Delhi after seven days with details of the action-taken report.

A case has been lodged against the accused teacher with the Ghuman police station under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force with intent to outrage the modesty of a woman) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC and the SC/ST Act.

Verka said he had been told that the accused teacher had absconded. The DEO (Secondary), Amarbir Singh Saini, said that the teacher had been suspended and he would send his report to the Education Minister within 10 days.