A 6-year-old girl, student of class 1, was raped allegedly by 3 seniors boys in a Chhattisgarh school

Ten days after a student of class 1 from a Central school in Chhattisgarh was raped allegedly by her three senior schoolmates, the school principal has been arrested for trying to "hush up" the matter, police said today.

The alleged incident occurred on August 20 in the bathroom of the school located near the state capital, an official said.

The school principal was arrested by the police on Friday for allegedly "not reporting the rape incident to police or any other competent authority even after he came to know about it," police station SHO Ramakant Sahu told news agency Press Trust of India.

After the parents of the girl approached the police on Thursday, the three accused students were charged under section 4 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and sections 376 (Punishment for rape) and 354 A (Sexual harassment) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

They have been sent to a juvenile home, the police officer added.

Meanwhile, on the role of the principal, Mr Sahu said he allegedly did not inform such a serious crime either to the police or to the child welfare committee or magistrate, and tried to investigate the case himself.

"The entire act falls in the category of an attempt to hush up the incident. The principal has been booked under section 21 of the POCSO Act and relevant sections of the IPC," the police officer said.

The school principal was produced in a local court on Friday evening which released him on bail.

"The girl had narrated the incident to her parents after returning home from school, following which they raised the matter with school administration. However, when the authorities failed to take any action, the parents approached police on August 22," said Mr Sahu.

