Arunachal Horror: Death Sentence Under POCSO For School Warden Who Sexually Abused Children For 8 Years

The case was handed over to an SIT on November 24, 2022, and 22 children went on to be examined, of whom 21, both boys and girls, gave accounts of varying degrees of abuse, from harassment to rape, which was meted out to them in the warden’s room between 2014 and 2022.

The chargesheet recorded similar details recurring in the statements of the children: being made to dance in their underwear; to watch pornography; to massage Bagra; to consume medicines which made them sleepy and then waking up naked or dishevelled and in pain. Multiple children also told police that they had been threatened against telling anyone about his activities, and had been beaten.

During the investigation, six female children underwent medical examination. Two bottles of cough syrup and tablets were seized from the warden’s room and pornographic photos and videos were found in his phone, TIE reported.

Calling the POCSO court’s judgement a “landmark one that carries the potential to profoundly influence the psyche of the entire state and its citizens”, the SIT’s then Superintendent of Police Rohit Rajbir Singh said, “This ruling not only addresses the immediate issue at hand but also serves as a critical turning point for the broader societal awareness surrounding the protection of children, reinforcing the collective responsibility to safeguard their rights and welfare.”