Sitapur rape survivor cries drug-sex racket in school

SITAPUR: On June 27, the news of a minor girl being gang-raped because she was performing well in school sent shockwaves across the state. Days later, there are alarming questions around it: Was it an incident of one student being sedated, gang-raped and filmed on campus? Or, is it a drug and sex ring running at a government high school?
The 15-year-old Sitapur girl who in an FIR accused a female teacher, the teacher’s two brothers and two cousins of putting her through a two-year ordeal has, in her statement to a judicial magistrate under Section 164 of CrPC, made another disturbing claim that she is not the only rape survivor.
“...Galat kaam ke ladkon se paise leti thi. aur ladkiyan bhi phansi thi (The teacher took money to allow boys from outside enter campus and torment us. Like me, other girls were preyed upon too),” reads a section of her three-page statement recorded in-camera on July 2. The TOI is in possession of a copy of the statement.
Speaking to TOI on July 4, the teenager stuck to her claim. “Char-paanch ladkiyon ke saath hua (Four-five girls in my class were sedated and sexually assaulted),” said the girl who cleared her Class X boards with 93% this year.
According to her father, the accused teacher allowed a gang of 10-12 youths and adolescent boys to have unrestricted access to the campus and students. Some of these youths were armed with “tamancha (countrymade pistol)” using which they intimidated the schoolgirls, he said.
While the FIR lodged at Maholi police station names all the five accused, only one — Ghanshyam (20), a cousin of the accused teacher — was arrested on July 4 and sent to jail.
LR Kumar, Sitapur SP, told TOI that the female teacher had been grilled and that arrests were being made “based on evidence”. On allegations of a drug and sex ring at the government school, the SP said the same could not be substantiated so far. “If there are more victims, they can come forward,” he added.Sitapur DM Akhilesh Tiwari formed a three-member committee, led by SDM Shashi Bhushan Rai, to probe into the allegations. The team visited the school late last month. However, the DM or the SDM could not be reached despite repeated attempts.
The father of the girl said: “If my daughter gets justice, maybe, other girls will get the courage to come forward too.”