RAJKOT: A school principal and three other persons were booked for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl who was studying in Class 8 and staying at a residential school run by Gram Swaraj Sangh in Rapar taluka of Kutch district.The trust, which works for the upliftment of underprivileged people while following Gandhian principles, runs a residential school for students from classes 1 to 10 on its campus.The case came to light after a female teacher found a pregnancy test kit on the school premises while preparations were under way for Independence Day celebrations. The teacher and the girls’ hostel warden checked CCTV footage and allegedly found the kit had slipped from the pocket of school principal’s pocket. They subsequently informed the trust secretary.“During their inquiry, trust secretary and core committee member learnt what had happened. The principal’s residence is located near the girls’ hostel. He allegedly took the girl to an isolated spot behind the hostel and raped her two days before Aug 15 and again two days after,” said R L Khattana, police inspector of Rapar police station.Instead of informing the police, the school authorities only suspended the principal and sent the girl back to her parents, thereby attempting to suppress the matter, police said.“The girl was in the custody of the school authorities. It was their responsibility to inform the police about the sexual assault of a minor,” Khattana said.After receiving information about the incident, police, with the assistance of the Child Welfare Committee, approached the girl and her family. An FIR was registered at Rapar police station on Friday against the principal, hostel warden, core committee member and trust secretary.The accused have been booked under sections of the BNS and Pocso Act.The accused principal was reportedly a former student of the school and had worked there as a teacher for two years before being appointed principal.
