In a recent incident reported from Uttarakhand, more than 100 girls attending a residential school in the Khatima area of Udham Singh Nagar district alleged that they were sexually harassed by three tailors who came to measure them for school uniforms between August 22 and September 6. The victims accused the tailors of inappropriate touching during the measuring process.
On Tuesday, September 12, the police arrested two of the three tailors, Mohammad Umar and Mohammad Shakil, both residents of Khatima. They have been charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act and various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including section 354, which deals with outraging the modesty of a woman. However, the girls had to face considerable challenges before their complaints were taken seriously and action was initiated against the perpetrators. School staff members were reportedly present when the harassment occurred, but they failed to intervene.
The matter only gained traction after approximately 100 girls shared their experiences with a teacher and their parents raised their concerns. A formal complaint was filed with the Khatma Police through the president of the Parent-Teachers Association, leading to the involvement of authorities.
In response to the complaint, Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Khatima Ravindra Singh Bisht and his police team visited the school. SDM Bisht reprimanded the school staff for their negligence, resulting in the detention of the vice principal and two teachers for dereliction of duties. Female police personnel were dispatched to collect statements from the affected children, and the tailors were also investigated and detained. The school's CCTV footage supported the allegations against the tailors.
These disturbing incidents evoke memories of the Ajmer Serial Rapes of 1992, where hundreds of Hindu schoolgirls were targeted and raped by individuals from a different community. It's worth noting that this is not an isolated case of harassment in educational institutions. Similar incidents have been reported, such as the case in Karnataka where Muslim students allegedly recorded private moments of Hindu females and shared the footage on social media. Additionally, a case from Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh involved the secret recording of objectionable material by a student, which was later used for blackmail.
In all these cases, there were deliberate efforts to silence the victims and downplay the incidents as pranks or isolated occurrences of lesser significance.
What makes the Khatima case particularly shocking and unacceptable is that the school itself hired the tailors accused of molesting the students. One would expect a school to exercise greater caution and vigilance when allowing individuals access to their students, especially minor girls. However, in this instance, both the initial due diligence and the response from the teachers were lacking, leading to the girls being subjected to harassment by the tailors.
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