The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has directed the Kandhamal District Magistrate to inform the commission within six weeks as to whether any relief is payable to the minor tribal students of a Government school in the district, who were subjected to sexual exploitation by one of the school’s teachers.
Adjudicating an application filed by human rights activist and lawyer Prabir Kumar Das, the NHRC has issued the notice to the district Collector to inform whether any arrangements have been made to counsel the affected students and to prevent recurrence of any such incidents in future.
According to reports, some minor girl students of the Government residential school were allegedly sexually assaulted by teacher Pratap Sahu and a complaint to this effect was made before the NHRC in March 2013. Upon a notice from the NHRC, the then district Superintendent of Police (SP) had submitted a report to the commission stating that a case has been registered against the erring teacher and he has been chargesheeted.
Since the matter is sub-judice, the commission without going further into the investigations into the case has observed that the SP’s report is silent on the relief payable to the victims under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Rules of 1995. “If the relief has been paid to the victims then the proofs of it may be sent to the commission,” the NHRC order said.