9-yr-old girl raped by watchman in govt-run Bhopal school

Bhopal, July 24 (IANS) A nine-year-old girl was raped by a watchman in a government-run school in Bhopal, police said

The incident took place in the school located in the state capital's Khoehefiza area on Friday and the matter came to light after the victim's parents lodged a complaint on Saturday.

According to the police, the victim, a student of the school, had gone to the bathroom and finding her alone there, the accused, raped her.

"The victim went to the bathroom during lunch time. The accused grabbed the girl and raped her. Later some other students noticed the minor crying in pain and informed the school staff," said the police.

The victim told the teachers that an uncle wearing a yellow T-shirt took her to the bathroom and forced her to remove her clothers.

The school staff immediately called the police.

Later the parents of the victim lodged a complaint at the Khoehefiza police station. The victim identified the accused (Laxminarayan Dhanak) during the interrogation and he was arrested, the police said.

According to the police, the victim had taken admission in the school a week ago in class four.

"This is a serious issue that a girl was raped within the school premises. Our investigation in this case is still underway. We are also investigating if some other students have faced the same situation," a police officer told IANS.

The officer further said that school staff will also be interrogated as to why such people were employed without verification.