Angered by 'rape', men ransack school

A group of 15 men, enraged over the suspected rape of a five-year-old student, assaulted the principal of a school and ransacked the furniture at Yarandalli in Hebbugodi on Saturday.

The men, all working in a plastic manufacturing unit run by the girl’s father, attacked other parents present there, said Kalinath, the principal of Cambridge School.

The staff came to the school as usual at 8.30 am. “A group of around 15 men barged into the school, alleging that an UKG girl had been raped. They started beating me while I tried to prevent them and asked them the reason for their fury. They threatened the staff with dire consequences and left,” Kalinath told Deccan Herald.

Alerted by some residents, the police rushed to the school, but by then the men had left, he said. As the news of the incident spread, several parents came to the school and the police had to deploy additional force to bring the situation under control. The management suspended the classes, as the students had panicked.

The victim Bhavana is the daughter of Vishnuvardhan and Saroja, a homemaker (names changed). The couple, originally from Tamil Nadu, have been residing at Yarandalli for the past 10 years.

On Thursday, when Bhavana returned home, Saroja took her for a bath. When the girl complained of severe pain in her private parts, Saroja alerted her husband and the couple took her to a private hospital. The doctor suspected sexual assault on her, gave first-aid and told them to approach the police. He gave a letter to the police stating that some bruises were inflicted on the girl with a sharp object.

The parents went to the police station and lodged a complaint. Later, they went to the school and discussed the matter with two staffers, Venkatesh and Saravanan, as the principal was not available. As the two said they would alert the higher-ups, the parents returned home.

The staff, however, did not inform Kalinath about the complaint. “I never knew about it till the miscreants created havoc on the school campus. We will take action against our staff for keeping me in the dark,” he said.

‘Hurt by another girl’

Bangalore Rural SP Dr D Prakash said Bhavana and another girl quarrelled over a petty issue and the girl injured Bhavana with a sharp-edged pencil. However, the medical examination report is awaited to ascertain the excact cause, he said.

Security was tightened in and around the school and the school management would take a decision on the annual day celebrations scheduled for Sunday, he said.

The police inspector said: “We have registered a case under Sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 447 (criminal trespass), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. We have launched a search operation and will arrest the suspects soon.”