Bihar: Principal helped director's son rape minor for 2 years
A horrifying case has emerged from Bihar's Saharsa, where the son of a school director has been accused of raping a student for over two years with help from the school's principal. The victim, who was only 12 years old at the time, was allegedly raped and filmed by the accused while the school principal guarded the room. Both accused were arrested after the survivor revealed the incident to a psychiatrist.
How did it begin?
The girl (now 17) was in Class 6 at Shanti Niketan Shikshan Sansthan when the horrific episode began. The principal, Anita Mishra, took her to a room through the library on the pretext of clearing some dues. As the victim entered the room, Mishra turned off the lights and locked her up from outside. Following this, the school director's son, Samrat Vishwas, revealed his presence and raped her. He reportedly filmed the entire incident to blackmail the minor.
Survivor remained traumatized for years
After the incident, the principal slapped her, tidied up her appearance, and sent her back to the classroom while threatening her not to speak about the incident to anyone. She didn't tell her parents. When she tried to confront the accused, they threatened her, saying that they would leak the videos. Disturbingly, he raped her over and over for two years. The victim continued to be haunted for years by the sexual abuse she had suffered, even after changing schools.
Panic attack led to revelation
She later realized that other students were also being targeted. After Class 8, she switched to an all-girls school and later moved to Patna to prepare for the NEET exam, where she confided in her hostel mates about the incident. In August, she suffered a panic attack when she got to know that Vishwas was in Patna. She was hospitalized overnight, and her parents were informed. The doctors then referred her to a psychiatrist, to whom she revealed the truth.
DCW chief writes to Bihar CM
After learning about the incident, the victim's brother filed an FIR, and both accused were arrested. Alleging discrepancies in the police investigation, the family held a candle march earlier this month. A day later, the survivor filed a case with the National Commission for Women (NCW). Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal also wrote to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, seeking help for the family. Meanwhile, the Bihar deputy inspector general (DIG) said the incident "shook him."
Some suspect political conspiracy
The victim's mother insisted on a swift trial in the case and demanded either a life sentence or the death penalty for the accused. The school, on the other hand, termed the incident a conspiracy to malign its image. Some quarters have also questioned the motive of the candle march when the accused are already behind bars, hinting at a political conspiracy against the CM Kumar-led state government.
