Class 10 student gang raped in Dehradun boarding school

The principal and two other officials of a boarding school in Uttarakhand were arrested on Tuesday after a Class 10 student alleged that they attempted to suppress her complaint of being sexually assaulted by four senior students, police said.

The school administrator and hostel warden were also arrested in connection with the case. Four Class 12 students named by the 16-year-old girl as the alleged perpetrators have been detained for questioning.

According to police, the incident allegedly took place on the eve of Independence Day when the four senior students took the girl on the pretext of preparations for an August 15 programme and sexually assaulted her.

The girl, who lives with her elder sister in the school's girls' hostel, later informed her sister about the incident. The matter was subsequently brought to the attention of the police.

The student has also alleged that a school official attempted to give her medicines mixed in a drink in an effort to terminate a pregnancy following the alleged assault. Police are investigating the allegation as part of the case.

An officer said the school administration allegedly first tried to persuade the girl not to pursue the matter and subsequently attempted to interfere with the situation by allegedly giving her medication.

The girl has since recorded her statement before a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in the presence of officials from the Uttarakhand government's Child Welfare Department.

Police have named the four Class 12 students on the basis of the girl's statement and are questioning them as part of the investigation. The arrests of the school officials indicate that investigators are also examining whether there was an attempt to conceal the alleged crime or prevent the victim from reporting it.

The case has raised serious questions about the safety mechanisms and responsibility of residential educational institutions, where students live away from their families and depend heavily on school authorities for their safety and wellbeing.