Repeated sexual assaults on preschoolers lay bare lax security on school premises

After a police case was registered on October 10 over the alleged repeated sexual assault of a three-and-a-half-year-old girl at a prominent school in Noida in the first week of October, parents in Noida are a worried lot, with many of them expressing their dissatisfaction with the security measures at school.

Last month, a six-year-old student of another private school in Noida was allegedly molested by a daily wage labourer engaged by a contractor to carry out some works on the school premises. In that incident too, four people, including the headmistress and a teacher, were arrested for trying to cover up the alleged assault and allowing the suspect to flee.

Parents said both these incidents have left them shaken and much worried about the welfare of their children at school. They have now called for complete CCTV coverage of all schools to keep an eye on students.

In a meeting called by Dharmveer Singh, district inspector of schools (DIOS), on Thursday, members of the Gautam Budh Nagar Parents Welfare Society (GBNPWS) and other stakeholders discussed ways to improve the security system at schools besides making some changes in staffing.

The parents’ body demanded that “no class (up to class 5) should be without a teacher, or attendant, and that such support staff should be female unless male staff is necessary for certain tasks,” said the draft of the meeting, reviewed bt HT.

On Thursday night, Noida police arrested the security in-charge and class teacher of the Noida school for allegedly trying to hush up the alleged repeated sexual assault of the preschooler by a 30-year-old staff of the school. Police said he allegedly took the child to a secluded part of the school and sexually assaulted her multiple times in the first week of October.

“Our investigation is underway. If any additional names arise during the investigation, we will arrest them. We have already arrested the class teacher and another staff member, and they will be produced in court,” said Ram Badan Singh, deputy commissioner of police, Noida,

The parents’ body further demanded comprehensive CCTV coverage of the entire school premises, including washroom entries, to monitor those going in or coming out.

Founder of parents welfare society Manoj Kataria said, “CCTV footage of classrooms and other areas should be accessible to parents on request in case they have concerns about their child’s well-being. There should be women guards on buses to protect children, and buses should also be equipped with CCTV cameras for surveillance.”

Kataria said hundreds of parents, along with GBNPWS members, were planning to meet the principal on Saturday to discuss their concerns. But the meeting could not be scheduled due to the principal’s unavailability.

In response, Noida DCP Singh said, “We will facilitate a meeting with the principal when she is available, as long as it is conducted peacefully.”