Maha tribal students' rape case: 1 girl was 'raped at knifepoint' for 6 months

Mumbai: One of the 12 tribal girl students who were allegedly raped by teachers, headmasters and peons of a boarding school in Buldhana district of Maharashtra was ‘raped at knifepoint’ for six months.

According to a report in dna, the mother of one of the victims said that an assistant named Etusingh Pawar repeatedly raped her daughter for six months. On the day Pawar sexually assaulted the girl for the first time, he had told her to keep the door of her room open at night, the mother said.

"When my daughter questioned him, he threatened to kill her if she did not do so. My daughter got scared and kept the door open. Etusingh came at midnight and forcefully pulled her into the next room. He was carrying a knife. This became routine for him and he raped the girl for six months at knifepoint. One by one, other school staffers also started exploiting the girls,” she said.

The girls, aged between 12 and 14, were students of Ninadhi Ashran School in Hivarkheda of Buldhana. The alleged abuse came to light when three of the 12 girls returned home to Halkheda village in Muktainagar taluka in Jalgaon district.

The Deputy Sarpanch of the village said that the girls who returned home had complained of stomach pain and ‘feeling something heavy in the stomach’. When they were taken to the doctor, it was revealed that they were pregnant.

All the 12 girls were later identified and sent to a hospital in Akola district for medical examination, while their relatives and parents lodged complaint in Khamgaon police station in Buldhana district.

Police have so far arrested eight people and are on the lookout for two absconding men. The accused have been booked section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO).

The accused are Etusingh Pawar (Assistant), BV Lahudkar (Headmaster for primary school), DR Kharat (Headmaster for secondary school), SB Lakhe (Assistant), ND Ambhare (Superintendent), Deepak Kokare (Kitchen Staffer), Ms MG Vajire (Superintendent), Vijay Kokare (Clerk), Mrs Manta Kokare (Kitchen Staffer) and Mrs Raut (Assistant). Lahudkar and Kokare are absconding.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT), in-charge of the case, said the number of victims may increase.