17 Class 10 school girls in UP's Muzaffarnagar drugged, molested on pretext of exam

An FIR has been filed against the administrators of two schools in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh after 17 Class 10 girls were reportedly drugged and assaulted under the guise of a practical test. On November 17, two Purkaji town school officials stopped 17 girls at GGS International School late at night and asked to stay overnight on the pretext of a CBSE practical exam, drugged their meals, and reportedly assaulted them. There was no female instructor there with the girls, and families said that even when the police learned about the event, they attempted to save the school administrators. They allegedly also tried to pressure a local journalist by filing a complaint against him with the school's administration for spreading rumours and blackmailing. The girls returned home from the class the next day.

The situation was ultimately brought to light 17 days later when local BJP MLA Pramod Utwal intervened and requested an investigation.  The girls were also threatened with failing their exams and having their families killed if they notified anybody about the event. The youngsters did not return to school the next day and instead told their family members about the occurrence. The girls said they had cooked khichdi for supper, but the school manager threw it away and made fresh food, which they claimed was poisoned.

Also Read | Delhi sees 16.8% dip in crime incidents in 2020: Govt informs Parliament, cites NCRB data

The FIR was filed under the POCSO Act and other relevant sections of the IPC against Yogesh Kumar, the operator of Surya Dev Public School, Bhopa, and Arjun Singh, the operator of GGS International School Purkaji. Meanwhile, the SHO who attempted to minimise the event and ignored the accusations has been fired.

Also Read | At least 31 children died by suicide every day in 2020: Govt data

• Muzaffarnagar
• drugged
• molest
• crime
• crime against minor
• CBSE