Goa minor rape: School reopens today, parents anxious about students' safety

Vasco, Goa: The school in Vasco, Goa -- where a 7-year-old girl was raped inside a toilet a week ago -- reopened today. On Sunday, the police arrested the head mistress of the school, run by the Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) for negligence -- she had reported the case to the police 3 hours after the incident. The main suspect in the crime is still absconding. A 15-member Special Investigation Team has been tasked with tracking the offender.

Parents of students are furious with the school management for not taking prompt action against the head clerk and a teacher who allegedly destroyed evidence at the crime scene. They say they are not confident about sending their children back to school yet.

One of them told NDTV, "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cameras now and has increased security, but what is the guarantee that these additional security personnel will not be withdrawn a month from now?" Another parent said, "The students were told by the management that a thief had come to school. My child is scared and refuses to go back to school."

Parents also suspect the accused is known to someone in the school management. These allegations have been denied by P Mara Pandiyan, the chairman of MPT.

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On Sunday, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) OP Mishra told reporters, "The head mistress was arrested this afternoon by South District police for negligence, which resulted in the sexual assault on the girl on January 14."

Hinting at more arrests, Mr Mishra said that a case of negligence has been made out against the head mistress and this is the first arrest in the case. However, Mr Mishra, supervising the investigations, termed it a "blind case".

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"This is a blind case. It has no point of origin. We are trying to build up the entire case", the DIG said, refusing to divulge more. "The case is being investigated on a broad canvas. There are different angles to it", he added.

Police have registered two different cases related to the alleged sexual assault of the minor inside the school toilet. The incident had evoked strong reactions from parents and locals, who took to the streets of Vasco in protest last week.

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