PANJIM: As around 60 persons protested outside the police headquarters and lit candles on Thursday evening, the mother of the 10-year-old girl who was raped in a Siolim school spoke to the gathering, telling of the series of events that transpired following the crime.
The 10-year-old girl was placed in an orphanage as her mother, who is the breadwinner found it a better alternative and she would go to school from there. On August 17, when the mother called the orphanage to check on her daughter as she did every eighth day, the girl asked to be picked up and be taken home.
The mother brought her home, but was puzzled with what had happened and told her daughter she’d have to go back to school. That’s when the girl said, “If you drop me back to that school, you may never see me again.”
After constant questioning, the girl revealed that her PT teacher had abused her. Following this, the mother filed a complaint and a medical test was done. The medical report, according to social activist Rajashree Nagarsekar, clearly proved the girl’s claims of being abused.
Meanwhile, the case that was registered on August 19 did not lead to the arrest of the accused who has applied for anticipatory bail. CCTV footage from the school was received seven days after the offence was registered.
Calls for providing police protection were also met with no reaction from the police and young boys from the village have taken it upon themselves to protect the girls in the village.
Questions were also raised as unidentified persons came looking for the girl and her house, villagers say as a probable means of reaching some sort of settlement.
