Vibgyor High rape survivor not yet ready for school

Over two months have passed but the six-year-old rape survivor of Vibyor High, a school in Marathahalli, is still under treatment and unable to attend school.

Her father told Deccan Herald on Wednesday, “She is at home and going about her daily routine. She is being treated as well as counselled. We are ensuring she is comfortable. The treatment is showing good results.”

He said no decision had been made on his daughter’s schooling. “Right now, we are busy with her treatment. Her health is our main priority. Whether to change the school or not is  something we have to decide. We will meet the school management soon and take a decision. After the incident, no one from the school has contacted us.”

The father said he was satisfied with the police investigation into the case. “Once in a while, we get updates from the police. We hope the rapists get the maximum punishment possible,” he added.

The student was raped by two men on the Vibgyor premises on July 2. She had not spoken to her parents about it. When she fell sick a while later, her doctor told the parents that she had been raped. The shocked parents approached a children’s helpline and followed it up with a police complaint on July 16.

The police first arrested Mustafa, a skating instructor at the school. He was later found to be innocent and released on bail. The police later arrested two gym instructors, Lal Giri and Wasim Pasha. The police are investigating whether others are involved in the rape. Vibgyor High chairman Rustom Kerawalla was also arrested for covering up the incident, but was later freed on bail.

A cross-section of citizens had staged protests and pressured the police to solve the case. The police, in turn, recommended several security measures and directed all schools in the City to implement them. One of the measures requires schools to verify the antecedents of their teaching and non-teaching staff with the police.