Demand suspension of headmistress, teacher
The protesters at the Cuncolim police station demanding action in the girl child assault case.
Photo Credits: Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
Tension rent the air at the Cuncolim police station on Wednesday after the parents and residents of Balli marched to the police station to demand action in connection with the assault on a girl child by fellow students at a Cuncolim-based school.
The protesters demanded the suspension of the headmistress and the class teacher for what they called as sheer neglect and negligence on their part in attending to the victim girl after the assault.
They also demanded the suspension of the Lady PSI, attached to the Cuncolim police station for not investigating the case seriously. Given that the Cuncolim police took seven long days to register a FIR against the class teacher under the provision of the Goa Children’s Act, the protesters demanded the transfer of the case to the Crime Branch for investigations.
The protesters descended on the NH66, disrupting traffic on the main road in front of the police station before Sub-Divisional Police Officer, Margao DySP Santosh Desai reached the spot and convinced them to disburse from the road.
When the protesters descended at the Cuncolim police station on Wednesday evening, PI Diogo Gracias told them that the police have registered a FIR against the class teacher Lazima Fernandes under the Goa Children’s Act and under the provisions of the BSN.
PI Gracias handed a copy of the FIR to the protesters, but they demanded to know why the police took seven days for the police to register the FIR. They demanded that the police bring the teacher and the school headmistress to the police station and also demanded their suspension. “If the teachers in North Goa were arrested recently, why the police is going slow in the child assault case,” they wondered. They demanded handing over the case to the Crime Branch for proper investigations.
South Goa Superintendent of Police, Sunita Sawant also rushed to the Cuncolim police station on late Wednesday as the protesters refused to leave, demanding the suspension of the teachers.
They also demanded the suspension of a Lady PSI who they alleged did not take the investigations into the case seriously.
The FIR registered by the Cuncolim police alleged that the Std 3 class teacher and the management allegedly acted negligently by endangering the life of the girl child by failing to provide immediate treatment to the girl child (victim) when reportedly informed to them by the other students of the class. It was further stated that the management had also failed to inform them about the victim’s health condition to her parents as a result of which her condition worsened and is presently undergoing treatment at the Goa Medical College and Hospital, Bambolim for internal bleeding in the head.
The police is investigating.
Lady PSI transferred; women police station to probe case
MARGAO: The Goa police on late Wednesday transferred Cuncolim Lady Police Sub Inspector Kavitha Rawat in connection with the school girl assault case.
In another development, investigation in the child assault case has been transferred to the women police station.
This decision was taken on late Wednesday after South Goa District Superintendent of Police Sunita Sawant rushed to the Cuncolim police station. It was only after the SP, South took these decisions that the protesters left the Cuncolim police station.
The IGP is expected to visit the Cuncolim police station on Thursday to take stock of the situation and supervise the investigation.
The police have also assured the agitating protesters that they will call the class teacher and the school headmistress at the police station as part of the investigations.
DySP Santosh Desai told The Goan late Wednesday that PSI Kavita has been transferred to the South Goa District police headquarters.
He said the women police station will investigate the case from Thursday.
