Letter to Home Minister of Karnataka

 


February 20, 2014

Dear Shri KJ George, 

This has reference to the heinous crime that took place in Bangalore on January 07th 2014, where a two and half year old child studying in a pre-school was molested by the driver of the school bus inside the school premises.  The police subsequently arrested the driver. 

This incident, which has severely traumatized the child and her parents, raises several questions about the procedures / steps being taken to ensure the safety of children inside school and when travelling on school vehicles. As demonstrated in this case, this shameful incident took place inside the school premises and allegedly in the presence of a Lady Assistant, but no action has been taken against the Lady Assistant or the School Management. 

The parents of the child have serious concerns about the manner in which the investigations are progressing pointing out that the school has managed to release the school van – where the crime took place – and the Public Prosecutor did not object to this, and no action was initiated against the Management, Principal and staff of the school, even after 45 days after the incident.

Given the heinous nature of the crime and in the interest of justice, I urge you to take the following action: 

  1. Ensure that the Public Prosecutor objects to the Court order for releasing the school van, and ensures its seizure. Since the crime was committed on the school premises, the incident points to a clear case of callousness on the part of school authorities. Therefore, criminal action must be initiated against the school authorities and management, including the Principal, Attendant and other teaching staff.
  2. Although the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act requires the setting up of a Special Court to try such cases, Karnataka state is yet to establish such a court. A Special court must be approved at the earliest to fast track the case.
  3. Given that the accused was a serial offender, other children of the school must be examined for physical and mental health and the school must be shut until the investigations are completed.
  4. The government must institute a policy to ensure schools follow a rigorous verification process while hiring drivers, janitors and other support staff. It must conduct an enquiry into the due diligence currently employed by schools while hiring staff. Such an enquiry can serve as an empirical basis to design suitable institutional procedures that schools must adhere to in order to prevent such incidents in the future.

Most importantly, effective prosecution in a crime such as this is of utmost importance.  In order to ensure effective prosecution of the case, I request that you appoint an advocate of appropriate seniority and experience from the criminal side of the Bar, as a Special Public Prosecutor, to prosecute the matter. An unsuccessful prosecution would not only fail to vindicate the crime and the trauma of the victim and her parents, but will also erode the faith of an average citizen in the judicial process in the State. 

I look forward to your urgent action on this matter to ensure our city and state becomes safe for our children.

 

Yours Sincerely, 
RAJEEV CHANDRASEKHAR


Shri K. J. George
Hon’ble Minister of Home Affairs
Government of Karnataka
Bangalore