Maharashtra SHOCKER! Class 2 Student Sexually Assaulted By 16-Yr-Old Canteen Boy At Palghar School

A 7-year-old Class 2 student was allegedly sexually assaulted by a 16-year-old canteen worker at a private school in Naigaon area of Palghar, Maharashtra.

Palghar Rape: Amidst the backdrop of the alleged sexual abuse of two kindergarten girls at school in Badlapur town of Thane district in Maharashtra, a similar case was reported from the state’s Palghar district where a 7-year-old girl student was allegedly sexually assaulted by a 16-year-old boy working in the canteen of a private school in Naigaon area.

The teenager, hailing from Uttar Pradesh, was detained on Friday and sent to a remand home, the police said.

An official said the matter came to light on Thursday when the minor victim, a Class 2 student, refused to go to the school canteen during lunch break. Upon being asked the reason by her class teacher, she told her that an “uncle” working in the canteen was troubling her.

The teacher immediately informed the headmaster, and further inquiries with the child revealed that the accused allegedly sexually assaulted her on three to four occasions over the last 15 days, the official said, adding the headmaster contacted the Naigaon police and filed a complaint against the teen, based on which a case was registered under sections 74 (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Police said the accused, an Uttar Pradesh resident who had come to work in the canteen two months ago, has been detained and sent to a remand home.

The CCTV footage from the school is being scanned as the police suspect that the accused might also have abused other students in a similar fashion.

Further investigation in the case is underway, they said.

The incident comes close on the heels of the alleged sexual abuse of two kindergarten girls at a school in Badlapur town in Thane district of Maharashtra which has triggered widespread protests in the NDA-ruled state.

(With inputs from agencies)