india

Updated: Feb 13, 2019 11:25 IST

A Class 8 girl was raped by a student of another school inside a toilet during Saraswati Puja celebrations last week in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, police said on Wednesday

Mayurbhanj Police said though the incident happened on February 10 during the celebration of Saraswati Puja, the incident was reported on Tuesday evening.

Baripada Sadar police station inspector Swarnalata Minz said the matter came to fore after the minor girl narrated the ordeal before her family members the next day.

“The girl’s aunt lodged a complaint with the police last evening demanding action against the accused. A case has been registered under Sections 341, 376 (3), 506 IPC (Indian Penal Code) and POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) act. We are yet to arrest the accused,” said Minz.

Police said the girl was inside the school bathroom when the minor boy, a Class 10 student of another school, allegedly jumped the fence and raped her there. The girl was taken for a medical examination later.

The latest incident comes amid rising cases of sexual assault of minor girls in the eastern state.

Last week, two cases of pregnancies among schoolgirls, one a Class 9 student and another from Class 6, were reported from Mayurbhanj district. Last month, three minor girls including two inmates of state-run residential schools were found pregnant in different parts of the state.

On January 30, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCPR) in a letter to Odisha chief secretary asked the government to take steps to spread awareness on Pocso Act and sensitise children, parents, teachers, police and staff dealing with children on child sexual abuse especially in rural and tribal belts of the state.

“Such regular episodes of abuse create a sense of doubt about the well being of the children living at distance from their families,” the commission said.

Last month, the National Human Rights Commission had also issued a notice to Odisha chief secretary calling for a detailed report on the incident of a 14-year-old girl student of a tribal school in Kandhamal district delivering a baby girl in the school hostel.