GD Birla sexual assault: Parents hold rally, seek enhanced security for students

Kolkata: Agitated guardians on Saturday organised a rally outside the GD Birla Centre for Education, where a nursery student was allegedly sexually assaulted by two physical training instructors, demanding justice for the victim, enhanced security for students and a meeting with the principal.

The move came hours after principal S Nath and other teachers of the school in south Kolkata were escorted out by the police, after being held up in their offices by the angry guardians for over 16 hours.

The two accused physical education teachers were arrested yesterday in connection with the case.

Krishnendu Mukherjee, one of the protesting guardians, said, "We want immediate resignation of the principal and the teacher who had described the accused as 'naughty boys' before the media yesterday".

A guardians' forum will be set up by tomorrow and all grievances will be channelised through that platform, he said.

"If our demands are not met, we will intensify our protests from Monday," Mukherjee said.

The GD Birla Centre for Education, in a statement to the media yesterday, had said the school's management was fully cooperating with the police in their investigation.

"The school management will take necessary and proper action after the investigations are over," the statement said, adding the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) has also been apprised of the matter.

West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said he was looking into the incident with "utmost seriousness".

"I have no words to condemn the incident. Strongest punishment should be given to those responsible for the incident," he told reporters yesterday.

The WBBSE has sent a fact-finding team to enquire into the matter. It has sought a report from them by the end of the day, board president Kalyanmoy Ganguly said.

The four-year-old nursery student was allegedly sexually assaulted inside the prominent private school yesterday where a similar incident had taken place three years ago, triggering angry protests by guardians.