Vibgyor High chief arrested on charge of rape cover-up

City court grants him conditional bail

The Bangalore Police on Tuesday night arrested the founder chairman of Vibgyor High chain of schools on charges of hushing up the rape of a six-year-old girl student at the institution’s Marathahalli campus here and pressurising the staff not to disclose the incident to the cops.

The delay in action against the school management had led to widespread protests over the last few days. On Tuesday night, a special team of Bangalore Police arrested Rustom Kerawalla (53), a Mumbai resident, at Devka Beach in Daman, located between Gujarat and Maharashtra. He was brought to the City on a flight early on Wednesday.

“Kerawalla has been booked under Section 201 of the Indian Penal Code (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen the offender), Section 23 of Juvenile Justice Act (cruelty to juvenile or child) and Section 21 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (failure to report a case of rape to police),” Bangalore Police Commissioner M N Reddi told reporters on Wednesday.

The investigation has shown that Kerawalla failed to ensure the safety of the child when she was in the custody of the school management.

Moreover, he tried to destroy evidence and pressurised school staff not to disclose the incident to the police. He also tried to hush up the crime. All these acts are against the law. Hence, he was arrested, Reddi explained.

After being brought to the City, Kerawalla was interrogated at CCB office by senior officers. Later in the evening, he was produced before a City court which granted him conditional bail.

Though the girl was raped on July 2, the school authorities had not informed the police or her parents about it. The matter came to light after the girl’s parents took her to a senior doctor for medical examination following complaints of fever on July 12.

Subsequently, her parents lodged a police complaint on July 14. “Probe is on and there is no question of giving a clean chit to anybody at this stage,” Reddi said.