india

Updated: Aug 23, 2019 23:16 IST

A six-year-old student of a government school in Raipur was allegedly raped by three schoolmates, all aged 10, the police said.

“The incident took place on August 20 in a school in Raipur. As per the victim’s statement, she was sexually assaulted by two schoolmates in the bathroom of the school, while the third one stood guard outside,” Raipur superintendent of police (SP) Arif Sheikh said. The three accused have been booked, he said, but not detained.

The parents of the girl approached the police on Thursday, following which a rape and sexual assault case was registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, he said.

“We have recorded the statement of the victim in front of the Child Welfare Commission. We have found that the girl was sexually assaulted as per the medical examination,”

The three boys have been charged under section 376 (rape) and 354A (sexual harassment) of the IPC and section 4 of the POCSO Act, the SP added.

The parents first approached the school, demanding action against the boys but got no response following which they filed a case with the police, he said.

The school principal, however, said the institution had reported the incident to the police.

“The allegations against the school are false. The incident was told to me but the kids were not speaking about it. Since it was related to kids, we called their parents and then we decided to report [to the] police,” the principal said.