Jind school sexual assault case: Police adds more sections after one more victim came to record her statement

The police have added sections such as 3 (1) (W) (i) of scheduled caste (SC) and scheduled tribe (ST) for prevention of atrocities act.

"Earlier, five girls were there who recorded their statement under 164 crpc before magistrate and now one more reached the officials counting to 6 in total," officials said.

Officials confirmed that her counseling has been done through the child welfare committee (CWC) on Monday and further process would be carried out on Tuesday.

The sub section 3 ensure punishment for offences of atrocities to the accused who is not a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe and (w) (i) says that one who intentionally touches a woman belonging to a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe, knowing that she belongs to the same, when such act of touching is of a sexual nature and is without the recipient's consent.

The accused was arrested on November 4 and now facing judicial custody since November 7.

In a first, police booked the accused principal under section 354 A (sexual harassment) and protection of children from sexual offences (POCSO) (8) on October 30 with FIR number 310 after a delay of 45 days as state women commission's head Renu Bhatia too had claimed that she asked the Jind police to lodge an FIR against the accused on September 14 only.

She even seemed annoyed at that time after seeing a major negligence in the matter as concerned police authority has to lodge a case promptly if any crime happens against minors but police took 45 days for registering a case."Police officials are silent that why it took 45 days for taking the action against the accused who had sexually assaulted 142 minor girls including from SC/ST community of his school and even now more girls are expected to come forward as probe is being done by SIT formed by Hisar range ADGP Shrikan Jadhav," Renu Bhatia said.

Reportedly, there were around 2,000 girls in government girl school which now had dropped to 935 in recent few years only. A three member team led by sub divisional magistrate, district education officer and district elementary education officer had counseled only 390 girls so far in which 142 girls have come forward leveling serious allegations against the accused.

In this matter, now special investigation team (SIT) comprises six members led by Sirsa district additional superintendent of police (ASP) Deepti Garg is probing the matter thoroughly.

This is the second time when police added more sections in this case as earlier police added 341 (Punishment for wrongful restraint), 342 (Punishment for wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC and POCSO (10) (Whoever, commits aggravated sexual assault shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than five years but which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine) and now added SC\ST act. (ANI)