Sexual abuse in Kaithal school: Victims overcome trauma, appear for Class XII pre-board examinations

Parveen Arora

Kaithal, December 11

A government senior secondary school at a village in Kaithal district, which had witnessed a disturbing phase last week after its principal was arrested for allegedly harassing girl students, is returning to normalcy.

More at ease now

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One of the victims told the teachers that she was scared and depressed after the filing of the FIR, but after the support of her family, villagers, teachers and other students, she was in a better frame of mind now

Class XII girls, who were victims of harassment by their principal, Ravi Kumar, and a construction contractor, Deepak — hired by the school for construction work — are not letting the incident affect their academic performance.

The students, wishing to remain anonymous, are concentrating on their studies with the support of their family members and teachers. “They are appearing in their pre-board exams being conducted in the school,” said a teacher.

The victims had reported the matter to the police, with the assistance of their teachers and the sarpanch’s father, after which the principal was booked on December 6. He was arrested a day later, and suspended the same evening. Later, the contractor was booked after two of four victims gave their testimonies under Section 164, CrPC, before a Magistrate and accused him of sexual harassment. “We, including a female teacher, provided the victims with counselling and support to overcome the mental trauma and regain their confidence. We admire the courage of the girls who raised the issue. They are appearing in the exams and doing well,” said another teacher, who wished to remain anonymous.

One of the victims told the teachers that she was scared and depressed after the filing of the FIR, but after the support of her family, villagers, teachers and other students, she was in a better shape. In the morning assembly today, the students were motivated not to dwell on the past, but to focus on their studies, said a teacher.

Ravinder Chaudhary, District Education Officer (DEO), appreciating the courage of the students, said he had interacted with villagers and assured them of justice.