The Tribune, Jamuary 22, 2004

Teacher held for molesting hearing-impaired girl
Tribune News Service

Karnal, January 21
A 14-year-old girl was allegedly molested and an attempt was made to rape her by a teacher in the city. A student of local deaf and dumb school, she was about to leave for home on Monday when her 34-year-old teacher Rajbir Singh allegedly pulled her inside a bathroom as she was walking down the corridor of the school and an attempt was made to rape her. However, she managed to escape from the ‘clutches’ of her teacher and narrated the tale to Ms Gagan, Assistant Director of the school.

The local Deputy Commissioner, Mr R.S. Doon ordered an inquiry into the matter on Tuesday. The police arrested the teacher today and a criminal case has been registered against him on the charges of outraging modesty of a minor girl and an attempt to rape her. Other students of the school raised protest against this heinous act today and demanded security in the school. The Deputy Commissioner reached the spot and assured that legal action would be initiated against the alleged culprit. Later, the DC met the minor girl, her mother and staff of the school to apprise them that a criminal case has been registered against the teacher and has been arrested.

Another student of the school, a 14-year-old girl, told The Tribune through an interpreter that the same teacher also molested her. Presently, 110 physically impaired children, including 37 girls, where getting education from the institute. The Assistant Director of the school, Ms Gagan, said this was the first such incident in the school since its inception though a case of tampering with the official records was also registered against Rajbir Singh on March 27 last year. Mr Doon said he had written to the authorities concerned of the Haryana Welfare Society for Hearing and Speech Handicap, that runs the school, to suspend Rajbir Singh immediately. The Governor of Haryana is the chairman of this society.

The medical examination of the minor girl was yet to be conducted. No arrangements had been made for her psychological counselling as per the Juvenile Act (Amended)-2002. Moreover, there was no post of a psychologist in the local Civil Hospital and neither a Juvenile Welfare Board had been constituted in the district for such counseling.