National panel to probe minor girl assault case in Punjab

Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Thursday said the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had constituted a team to probe the sexual assault of a minor girl in Punjab.

In a statement here, Harsimarat Badal said it was shocking that despite four days having passed no action had been initiated against the school management for trying to cover up the crime nor against police officers who had assisted the management in this inhuman task.

Hundreds of protesters this week staged a protest against the private convent co-educational school authorities near Amritsar town over the alleged sexual assault of a Class 2 girl student by a senior from Class 10 of the school.

The Union Minister said she approached NCPCR Chairman Priyank Kanoongo to ensure a fair inquiry could be initiated against the school management which tried to hush-up the crime by refusing to acknowledge it had happened.

She appraised the NCPCR head about the non-cooperative attitude of the school management which did not even provide CCTV footage to the parents of the victim, Badal added.

Meanwhile, she also requested Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to take stern action against the principal of the school as well as police officers who had failed to do their duty and even tried to pressurize the victim family not to go ahead with its complaint.

The protesters were demanding registration of a criminal case against the school authorities for its failure to prevent the crime and forcing the victim's parents not to report the incident to the police.

The school, Sacred Heart Convent School, affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education, is located in Beas, near Amritsar.ians