Fifteen people from the school in the town 500 km from Mumbai have been arrested
Buldhana:
A 10-year-old girl studying at a government-aided school for tribal students in Maharashtra's Buldhana was raped repeatedly by a 22-year-old staff member.
Fifteen people have been arrested on the complaint of the girl's father. The main accused is a former student of the residential school in the town 500 km from Mumbai.
The girl was allegedly assaulted several times by the man over the past three to four months. She has reportedly told the police that more girls were raped.
Among those arrested on Wednesday night is the manager, who was allegedly aware of the rape. He has been accused by the girl's father of trying to stop of from going to the police.
The case finally surfaced after the father approached BJP lawmaker and former minister Eknath Khadse, who escalated the complaint to the state's Agriculture Minister Pandurang Phundkar.
Women constables are questioning other students to find out if more girls were attacked. There are 105 girls in the school.
The police have formed a special investigation team headed by a woman officer.
Vijaya Rahatkar, the chairperson of the Maharashtra State Commission for Women, met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today and urged him to fast-track investigations into the case. "The school authorities have betrayed the trust of the girl's parents...they had trusted the school with their daughter's security," Ms Rahatkar said.