Sketch of the main suspect released by the police
When a Goa school reopened today, a week after a seven-year-old girl was raped inside a toilet there, parents of students were shocked to see a teacher and a clerk who have been accused of destroying evidence, on duty as usual.
The parents said it was only when they objected to their presence that the two employees were asked to leave; school authorities, on the defensive, claim they came to school despite being asked not to, and were suspended as soon as they reported at work this morning.
The teacher and the head clerk allegedly washed the blood-soaked clothes of the young child, who was raped by a man who is yet to be traced. Witnesses have described him as a middle-aged man, wearing a pair of blue jeans and a blue, white and black striped long-sleeved shirt, who was seen roaming the school premises before the child was assaulted. The police have released a sketch of the man, but are yet to get any leads on his identity.
He had ample time to get away. The school reported the incident to the police only three hours after the child was attacked on Monday last. The parents of the child allege that in those three hours, she was bathed at school, her inner-wear and skirt were washed and the toilet where she was raped was cleaned. Vasco in Goa has seen hundreds of people take to the streets last week in horrified protest against the incident and the school's alleged laxity. The headmistress was arrested yesterday, six days after the crime took place, for negligence, the first arrest in the case. She has been sent to police custody for seven days.
The father of the child, still unable to come to terms with what happened to his daughter, told NDTV last week that he believed the school had damaged the case. "How can an educated teacher wash off evidence?" he asked incredulously.
The agony of the parents has been compounded by the many insensitivities they say they have had to face. Suresh Shirwadkar, an official of the Mormugao Port Trust which runs the school, had visited their home two days after the child was raped, to offer compensation. He allegedly told the father of the seven-year-old, "Your child doesn't seem to be suffering that much."
"I was shocked when I heard that statement. How can he say that my daughter is not suffering? She has been scarred for life. The management's insensitivity has really disgusted and saddened me," the father said.
The rage that has swept through Goa forced Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to step in on Saturday and promise quick action against the official and others found guilty of negligence. All the action against school officials has come after the CM's promise. P Mara Pandiyan, the chairman of the Mormugao Port Trust, said today that Mr Shirwadkar has been removed from the post of the general secretary of the school. But the man continues to serve as a financial advisor to the port; a departmental inquiry has been ordered against him.
With final exams close, most students turned up at school as it re-opened today, but many parents say they are unconvinced about the measures the school has taken in the last week to ensure the safety of children. "Yes, the school has installed CCTV cameras now and has increased security, but what is the guarantee that these additional security personnel will not be withdrawn a month from now?" asked a parent.
Another said, "My child is afraid and refuses to go back to school." Explaining the presence of the police and the unusual activity after the crime was discovered, the school management told the younger children that a thief or a "bad man" had come into the school.
The police say that while more arrests are likely, this is being treated as a blind case, with no point of origin, as they try to patch together details about the crime. A 15-member special investigation team (SIT) has been tasked with tracking the accused and an award of Rs 50,000 has been announced for information about the man who raped the child. The police have also recorded the statement of the seven-year-old victim.