A school administration staff and bookshop keeper in India identified as Ashok Mishra has been accused of raping an 11-year-old class-six Nigerian pupil.
The 35-year-old school official was arrested by the Police in Greater Noida where the incident occurred on Tuesday. According to DNA India, the accused has been sent to judicial custody for 14 days.
The school principal told Hindustan Times on Thursday that the accused, Mishra had been working as an administrative assistant for the school for five years. Mishra’s job was to ‘screen’ visitors of the principal. Ashok Mishra, the bookseller also used to sell school diaries, resource books and uniforms to students. He had access to the entire building, including the teachers’ staff room.
The issue came to public attention last week Monday when the victim complained to his mother that he was being sodomized by a school staff for the last four years. The parents alleged the sexual assault used to take place in a toilet on the second floor of the school building.
“On Monday, two police officers had come to our school to inquire about Mishra. Since he was entrusted with installing GPS in school buses, I thought the police wanted to talk to him about that but it was at 9.45pm that I got to know that he was in police custody. He was a trusted member of the staff and was respected by everyone. We have never had any complaints regarding his behaviour,” the school principal said.
Meanwhile, a group of Nigerians protested in front of Greater Noida school where the incident has been happening for the past four years.
When the protesters were given audience, they told the authorities that the protest was not an aggressive one, however they have taken the step to demand justice for the boy. They also expressed worries as to what could be a future consequence of the sodomy on the boy.
A representative of the protesters said in a video: “We are not aggressive, see the point we are making here: it is assumed in our own culture that any man that has such character to the same man is either for ritual to tarnish the destiny of that child or transfer the destiny of that child to him. That is our own belief.
“If that child is brought to you, and he confirmed that he has made a complaint to you and you gave him sweet to make him not to report to his parents, tell us what will be our reaction to you?”
“You know what you are doing. You are trying to defend the crime. Every week, this boy has been molested; inside the backroom, classrooms, and the bathroom.”
