The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has held the State Government guilty of human rights violation of a tribal girl student in Nabarangpur district, who was subjected to sexual assault by a schoolteacher, and served a show-cause notice to Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi as to why monetary relief should not be recommended to be paid to the victim girl.
The commission has sought the Chief Secretary’s reply within six weeks.
Acting on a complaint filed by rights campaigner Subash Mohapatra, the commission had asked for action-taken report (ATR) from the School and Mass Education to Secretary and the Nabarangpur Superintendent of Police.
Responding to the ATR, the SP reported that the accused teacher Gobind Chandra Haldar has been arrested and sent to jail while the S & ME Secretary reported that the teacher has been placed under suspension. But the rights panel observed inaction on the part of the police.
“The victim girl belongs to a Scheduled Tribe but the police have not invoked the provisions of SCs & STs (P & A) Act, against the accused,” rights panel observed.
In its latest order, the rights panel directed, “The commission is of the considered view that the victim girl was molested and attempted, seems to have been made to rape her in a hostel of a Government-run school. Therefore, the human rights of the girl have been violated by the public servant. The commission, therefore, directs its Registry to issue a notice u/s 18(a)(1) of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, to the Chief Secretary, to show-cause as to why monetary relief should not be recommended to be paid to the victim girl.”
The commission also sought the petitioner’s view on the report submitted by the State authorities.