The police on Tuesday arrested a man at a school in Greater Noida on the charges of raping a 11-year-old student, The Indian Express reported. One of the boy’s parents is a Nigerian national and the family has been living in Greater Noida for five years, a Hindustan Times report said.
Indian law does not recognise the rape of males and such offences are usually tried under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, and sections 3 and 4 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, if the victim is a minor. Under Section 377, which makes “unnatural sex” illegal, there is no concept of consent – both consensual and non-consensual sex are treated the same.
In their complaint, the boy’s parents said that they discovered that their son was being raped after he returned from school on Monday and started crying, the Hindustan Times reported. “The complaint says that the accused had been assaulting the child for about 3-4 years,” Greater Noida Superintendent of Police Suniti Arya told ANI. “The child never opened up about this to anyone. We have sent a different team to check upon his background.”
She said the child’s parents had claimed that the accused was a shopkeeper, but that the police had been told that he works in the school administration. “The child was medically examined yesterday.” Arya added. “We have initiated the basic proceedings. The accused has been arrested.”
“While a First Information Report has been registered, we have not yet formally taken the statement of the boy,” Arya said according to the Hindustan Times. We will do it in the presence of Child Welfare Committee officials and will then send him for further counselling.”
She said the police were using all available evidence, including CCTV footage from the school for a detailed investigation. Arya added that the police would also speak to other students at the school with the help of child counsellors.
The safety of school students has been in focus since the murder of an 8-year-old boy in Gurugram’s Ryan International school in September.
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