CHANDIGARH:

of a

alleged that a Class VII boy attempted to

a Class I student in the institute's washroom.

, district education officer, confirmed the incident and so did the principal.

The incident - which came to light on Thursday - took place on October 15, but parents of the girl approached the school principal on October 22. The principal then apprised the district education officer of it. The principal said the girl studied in the evening shift and had come early to school that day as her parents had to go to work. "She entered the washroom and on seeing no one around, the boy followed her and sexually abused her. She managed to escape," the principal added.

After listening to her parents' complaint, the principal called the boy's parents and he confessed to the offence. He was immediately rusticated from the school. Sources said the girl suffered injuries after the boy forced himself upon her and touched her private parts. The principal said they acted on getting information and got the girl medically examined. Even as the authorities suggested that a police complaint be filed, parents of the girl did not agree out of fear of society. The school then informed the DEO office.

DEO Anujit Kaur said she has asked for the medical report of the girl and then would mark an inquiry.

When asked, neither director, school education, Rubinderjit Singh Brar nor education secretary BL Sharma were aware about the incident. They, however, said the issue would be investigated. "We will inquire into it and take exemplary and stringent action," Brar said.