Sexual assault of four-year-old in school leaves Hyderabad parents shaken

A four-year-old girl was sexually assaulted in her school's digital classroom by a school principal's driver, Rajani Kumar for over two months.
Representative image of a parent with children
Representative image of a parent with children
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On a Tuesday morning, Tulasi Venkat went to a private school to drop off his 10-year-old daughter in the city. His head and heart were heavy with the news that he saw the night before on television, which left him teary-eyed. Like him, many parents who heard the news were left disturbed about the safety of children in schools. A four-year-old girl was sexually assaulted in her school's digital classroom by the school principal's driver, Rajani Kumar for over two months. The incident came to light on Tuesday after the girl's parents protested at the school seeking justice after beating up the driver at school. The accused and the principal were both taken into police custody.

"There was a fear while I was dropping her at school," said Tulasi. The father narrated that he had to ask his daughter if everything was alright at the school, just to be sure that his daughter was safe. “I told her to let us know if anyone behaved or touched her inappropriately. My daughter was puzzled, and she wanted to know what had happened for me to be asking this. But I had no answer and I am in a dilemma about what to tell her and how she will react,” he said.

Tulsi was been grappling with the same questions that other parents were been dealing with, ever since the incidence of sexual assault of a little girl came to light. Questions about what happens in the school after the parents leave them at the school gate, and more specifically in this instance, why was the school principal’s driver allowed to monitor students or questions about the safety of children in the presence of strangers, have been troubling them.

Parents expressed concerns about how a four-year-old might have gone through all this 'torture' and how students of that age could express if anything happened to them. Another parent, Bhamidi Saraswati, mother of a 12-year-old boy said, "My blood has been boiling ever since I heard the news, as the incident happened under the nose of the principal and yet she could not prevent or protect the children." She further added, “Sexual assault can happen to children of any gender, but still I'm trying to understand the psychology of a girl's parents on the kind of fear they might go through because of such incidents.” Saraswati believed that parents should make an effort to communicate with their children every day and should ask the children about their daily activities in school. “What happened in the class, in the school bus, whom they were interacting with and such,” she said.

Meanwhile, Tulasi Venkat also said school managements sometimes showed reluctance to discuss issues with the parents, when they had problems with something that the school was doing. "I had an issue with the food items they were providing in school and wanted to discuss with the school authorities. But my daughter was unwilling to let me ask about it. She feared the consequences in school, if I tried to question any kind of irregularity that I come across about school," he said.

WhatsApp groups of parents from Hyderabad schools have been buzzing since the incident became public and many have expressed their concerns about how safe their children are. Parents forums on social media are abuzz with discussions and are enraged over the assault. Venkat from Hyderabad School Parents Association (HSPA) speaking to TNM said that several parents have been discussing the incident on the forums. Reacting to the allegations by the sexually assualted girl’s parents that the police and politicians were supporting the school, Venkat said police and school management should take it issues seriously, when parents try to complain about sensitive issues.

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