Kodaikanal:
The nine-year-old girl of the Kodaikanal Public School who filed a complaint of molestation against the school correspondent M L Bright may be traumatised but has not been cowed down. She says she is determined to fight till the finish to bring the accused 73-year-old to justice.
It's a new life at a new school for the nine-year-old girl. She is yet to recover from the trauma, but the girl is determined to fight for justice.
"He did not realise they were like his daughters and he was like a grand pa. I want him to be severely punished, I don't want him to come out. If he comes out he would threaten children, beat them and I don't know what all he could do," said the victim.
A Magistrate has recorded statements from nine girl students studying at the school. According to them, the Principal knew about the alleged abuse by Bright but did nothing about it. Both are now behind bars and police say they would oppose their bail pleas.
"There is a prima facie case of molestation. We are thoroughly investigating and collecting evidence to prove it in court," said S S Krisnamoorhty, IG, Southern Range, Tamil Nadu.
The school claims this is a fabricated case by the victim's guardian for being pulled up for defaulting on payment of fees. But the family denies this and it has all the documents to prove it. India will soon have an exclusive law to tackle child sex abuse and this case could turn into an acid test for it.