Srinagar- The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday registered a case of ‘sodomy’ under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012, following the despicable act of sexual abuse with a minor allegedly by fellow students at a high profile private school in Srinagar.
The unnatural act of sexual abuse with a juvenile at the school located in the civil lines of the city has drawn widespread condemnation and uproar across social media platforms, prompting school administration to file a complaint.
The victim, a juvenile, according to various social media reports, was subjected to unnatural sex by two fellow students and that the incident went ‘unreported’ for three years.
Reports said that not only did the minor accused warn the victim to prepare for consequences, but also threatened to harm his sister who also attends the school run by same management, in case he reported the incident to the police or his parents.
The victim was initially denying sexual abuse by two fellow students during school hours, but eventually opened up after his teachers convinced him to speak up against the cruelty meted out to him.
Despite fulfilling challenging formalities, the school administration, according to a social media post, decided to maintain silence against the act.
However, social media uproar over the heinous crime led the school administration to file a written complaint at the concerned police station.
A formal case FIR no. 44 of 2024 under relevant sections of POCSO Act 2012 which include sections 377 (unnatural sex), 511 (attempt to sodomy) and 506 (criminal intimidation), and section 23 of the Juvenile Justice Act at police station Kothibagh in this regard.
Taking to its official X handle, the Srinagar police said the police have taken cognizance upon written information by the administrative authority of a particular school regarding sexual assault on a minor student.
“Case FIR 44/2024 under relevant sections of POCSO Act stands registered at PS Kothibagh and the investigation has been taken up.
Confirming the development, a senior police official told Kashmir Observer that since the act is of a serious nature, the accused are likely to be tried under the Juvenile Justice Act and may be sent to the juvenile remand home.
Deeba Ashraf, a social media user, said she received numerous calls from students attending the school where the incident occurred. They requested her to address the issue of sexual assault, which the young boy has been a victim of for years.
“I can’t talk about the mental agony he’d been going through all these years. Why hasn’t action under POCSO been taken? Why is the private schools association silent? Where’s the statement from the school? Today it’s him, tomorrow it could be your child, or who knows that your child is already a victim,” she wrote on X.
Another user under name S’yed A’dil, wrote “Encourage all people to register their grievances at LG and ask the school education department to look into the matter. This way will give insight to the @SchoolEdujkut to intervene in this matter”
“Extremely sad. It deserves to be taken super-meticulously” Bilal-ur-Rehman, another user, replied.
Social activists say crimes like this, hooliganism and drug abuse is rampant in major private schools in Srinagar. In most cases teachers fear to speak out fearing punitive action by the school administration for fear of getting bad press.
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