Dhenkanal: Three assistant teachers including two women teachers of a Sevashram School at Sarakhia here were suspended Monday on the charge of conniving to cover up the rape of a class-VI girl and subsequently taking the victim to a private nursing home outside the district for delivery.
The suspended teachers were identified as assistant teachers Pushpalata Kanar and Rashmirekha Mishra and Bikram Aditya Sahu. Sahu had been earlier arrested by police for the offence along with headmaster Shankarshan Behera.
Rama Chandra Mishra has been appointed as the new headmaster of the school after Bhera was arrested, district welfare officer Manas Mishra said.
A married youth named Chandan Purty alias Baya, raped the girl during her visit to her village during Durga Puja festival. The girl became pregnant out of the relationship. Behera and other teachers instead of informing her family members and higher-ups took the girl for delivery to a private nursing home in Panikoili of Jajpur district.
The matter came to fore after the victim’s family members lodged a complaint at the Kankadahada police station April 25. Police arrested Purty and later arrested headmaster and the assistant teacher. The victim also lodged a case with the district welfare officer Manas Mishra against the headmaster accusing him of sexually abusing her, raping her and forcibly taking her outside for abortion.
