MARCAIM: Anticipating their arrest by police in the Madkai school girl molestation case, the headmaster and teacher rushed to get anticipatory bail on Friday.
The police have included names of both of them in the FIR registered against a PE teacher for allegedly molesting a 14-year-old girl student, following a letter from the Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights to the Mardol police.
As per information available, the victim girl first narrated the molestation incident to history teacher and then to the headmaster but they failed to inform the police for almost 5 months, thus violating Section 19 of the POCSO Act and based on it, the Mardol police have booked both of them under Section 21 of the POCSO Act.
Mardol PI Mohan Gaude informed that both have filed anticipatory bail applications before the children’s court and the hearing on their pleas will be held on September 5.
Chairperson of Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights Peter Borges noted that a preliminary enquiry in the molestation case of the 14-year-old student involving a PE teacher reveals that the school management has violated section 19 of the POCSO Act, 2012 which provides mandatory reporting of child from sexual offences to the special juvenile police unit or the local police.
Further the school has also violated the circular of the Directorate the of Education wherein it has been mentioned that head masters have to intimate the police immediately not beyond 12 hours after receiving information about such an incident.
Noting these provisions, the Mardol police have included names of both the headmaster and teacher in the molestation case and have added Section 21 of the POCSO,Act the police informed.
