Bengaluru: The Vibgyor school rape case, which became the centre of national news in July, has reportedly reached a dead end. Sources said that witnesses have turned hostile, making it very difficult for the police to file a watertight chargesheet. Though the police said that the investigation is on track, sources stick to their claim that teaching staff and parents are not willing to make their statements on record.
The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) demands that a chargesheet involving crimes against children be filed in a month's time, but nearly two months after the case was registered and the culprits apprehended, no headway has been made on building the case. Sections 4 and 6 under POCSO which relate to penetrative sexual assault and "aggravated" penetrative sexual assault (when the accused is one of the 'protectors' of the child, in this case, a teacher at the school), respectively, have been also invoked against them. The investigation has been riddled with anamolies, claim activists, who say that the Special Juvenile Police unit must select a child-friendly investigator to be part of the case, which has not been done.
"Parents in the case have not been assertive enough," said Mr Nagasimha Rao, convener, RTE Task Force and member of the Child Helpline. "After the initial protests, the enthusiasm died down. The police cannot proceed without community participation," he added. "People who do know what happened, including other parents, are not willing to come forward, even though several approached us with complaints against the school when the case was being reported in the media."
Umesh Aradhya, Chairperson, Karnataka State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights, admitted that the police have been unable to provide clarity on the case. "We mentioned this to City Police Commissioner M.N. Reddi on Wednesday, but we didn't get any concrete information," he said. "We are meeting him on Thursday for a more detailed meeting."
Ms Rohini Katoch, the investigating officer in charge of the case, denied these claims, saying the investigation is on the right track. “We are progressing very fast and all our requirements have been met so far," she said. "Obviously, we expect everyone to cooperate, which has been happening."
