34 Supaul schoolgirls resist sexual harassment, thrashed

Patna: In an outrageous incident, 34 girl students of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) at Darpakha under Triveniganj block in Supaul district were allegedly beaten up by villagers for opposing sexual advances made by some youths on Saturday evening. The mob also vandalized the school property.
It is a residential school for girls belonging to SC, ST, OBC and minority communities.At least 30 girls of classes VI to VIII were rushed to Triveniganj referral hospital.
Hostel warden Reema told this newspaper on Sunday that the students were playing on the school campus like any other day. “Suddenly, they started screaming and shouting. When the voices got louder, I saw around 15 people, both men and women, thrashing the girls with sticks and rods. I alerted the security guard and called up the local administration. By the time the security guard reached the school campus, they had run away,” she said.
The girls alleged that some youths of Darpakha often harassed them and passed lewd comments. When the girls objected to their advances, they called their parents and beat them up.
The students were first taken to the nearby primary health centre and then to the referral hospital. Two of them were referred to Supaul sadar hospital after their conditions deteriorated.
“Nine persons have been named in the complaint. Hari Kumar and Mohan Kumar of Darpakha have been arrested while the other accused are absconding. Four people have been detained for interrogation,” Supaul SP Mrityunjay Kumar Choudhary told this newspaper over the phone.
Narrating the incident, Supaul DM Baidya Nath Yadav said some of the girls caught a few youths and Middle School students for writing vulgar messages on the school wall. “Both the schools (KGBV and Middle School) are on the same campus but have separate buildings and common playground. The girls asked them not to write vulgar messages. The youths later sexually harassed them. The girls beat them up. Later, the boys called their parents from the village and thrashed the girls,” Yadav said.
“Eleven girls are still undergoing treatment at the referral hospital while two are admitted to sadar hospital. According to doctors, all of them will be discharged soon,” Supaul DEO Jagatpati Choudhary said.
Bihar education minister Krishnanandan Prasad Verma said action would be taken against the culprits. “To avoid such incidents in future, the department will take steps to ensure the safety of girls in schools, especially residential ones. The department will appoint women constables and security personnel in girls’ schools,” he said.
Meanwhile, taking a swipe at CM Nitish Kumar, former deputy CM and RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav tweeted on Sunday: “When administrator is selfish, citizens’ life becomes a curse! In Bihar, CM is not only selfish but also option-less and confused! On one hand he is desperate to revive his already dead credibility & on the other hand public is suffering due to rising crime (sic).”