School principal booked for raping ex-student attending alumni meet in Gujarat

Bharuch: Police launched a search for a school principal after booking him for alleged rape of a former student on the sidelines of an alumni meet in Bharuch of Gujarat, police said on Sunday.

The complainant stated that the principal had sexually assaulted her in the past also when she was a class 10 student of the private school in 2021-22. She didn't report the earlier incident as the accused threatened her into silence, police said.

An FIR has been registered against the accused principal, Kamlesh Raval, on charges of rape, assault, criminal intimidation, aggravated sexual assault and sexual harassment under the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, said police inspector VS Vanzara.

The principal allegedly raped the girl on December 1, 2024, when she visited the school campus to attend an alumni gathering, he said.

A complaint was registered after the girl confided in her parents.

Her complaint revealed that she was sexually assaulted by Raval in 2021-22 when he was the acting principal of the school where the girl was a class 10 student.

The girl didn't report the incident in the past as the accused threatened her with dire consequences, Vanzara said.

Police are looking for the accused. The district Anti Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) is investigating the case.