Vibgyor High School, Bangalore

For refusing to take responsibility for the rape of a six-year-old schoolgirl on its premises

Even as the country battles the issue of rape and violence against women, a top private school in Bangalore provoked a public uproar when it was revealed recently that a six-year-old schoolgirl was allegedly raped on the school premises by two staff members during school hours.

The police arrested a skating instructor, Mustafa, as the prime suspect after a laptop alleged to be his revealed images of child pornography, but the manner in which the school management refused to take responsibility for the incident was shocking. The accused is believed to have been fired from an earlier school called Deen’s Academy for ‘gross misconduct’, but Vibgyor High School had not checked this while employing him.

After the incident came to light, the school was accused of not just trying to hush up the matter, but of concealing information and destroying evidence. This led to a huge surge of outrage in the city, with parents taking to the streets and demanding action against the culprits and the school. The police has now arrested the chairmanof the blighted school, Rustam Kherawalla. One can perhaps understand not wanting the reputation of the school to be tarnished, but rape is a serious allegation, and the school is responsible for the safety of its wards.

BangalorerapeVibgyor High School