Lucknow: A 15-year-old Class 10 student died in Ayodhya Friday after allegedly falling from the terrace of a well-known private school.
The family of the girl has alleged that she was called to the school by the principal despite the premises being shut for summer vacations, and that she was raped by two staff members — games teacher Abhishek Kanojia and school manager Brijesh Yadav.
The police have booked the duo as well as the school principal under Sections 376D (gangrape), 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and Sections 3 and 4 (pertaining to sexual assault and its punishment) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.
According to the FIR filed by the girl’s father, which ThePrint accessed, principal Rashmee Bhatia had called the student to the school “despite the school being closed due to ongoing summer vacation as part of conspiracy”.
“There, accused Brijesh Yadav and Abhishek Kanojia, who were already present, raped my daughter and pushed her from the terrace of the school to hide the crime. This led to my daughter being seriously injured and her subsequent death during treatment,” alleged her father, according to the FIR.
Speaking to media persons, Additional Superintendent of Police (city) Madhuvan Kumar Singh said the Class 10 student fell from the terrace around 9.30 am Friday.
“The school management took her to a hospital where she was admitted and her family was informed. The student died during treatment. Suitable action will be taken based on evidence from electronic surveillance and CCTV footage,” he said.
थाना कैण्ट क्षेत्रान्तर्गत विद्यालय मे एक बालिका के छत से गिरने व इलाज के दौरान उसकी मृत्यु हो जाने की घटना के संबंध में की जा रही पुलिस कार्यवाही के संबंध मे #SP_city की बाइट #UPPolice pic.twitter.com/eX8NVfjrTU
— AYODHYA POLICE (@ayodhya_police) May 26, 2023
CCTV footage from the school, which has been circulating on social media, shows the girl falling from the terrace of the school and writhing in pain. The video is in possession of ThePrint.
Speaking to reporters, the girl’s father alleged that the school staff had “tampered with evidence by removing bloodstains from the spot where she was found lying”.
He further claimed that his daughter had injuries all over her body and that her mobile phone, which she had been carrying, was missing.
Asked about the family’s allegation of rape and of school officials removing bloodstains from the spot, circle officer (city) Shailendra Singh said the deceased’s vaginal swabs had been sent for forensic analysis and an investigation is underway. “Even if the bloodstains were removed, the police are capable of recovering any traces of blood,” he said.
Police sources told ThePrint that Kanojia had been detained but the police have not admitted to any detention or arrest on record.
Also Read: Gangraped in teens, visiting courts as grandmothers: 1992 Ajmer horror is an open wound
‘Misled us’: Girl’s grandfather
The girl’s grandfather told reporters in Ayodhya that she had gone to school around 8.41 am.
“At 9.51 am, her father received a call from the school informing him that his daughter had been injured after falling from a swing. We thought it would be a normal injury. They first took her to Narayan Hospital and then to Chiranjeev Hospital and finally, to Raj Rajeshwari Hospital,” he said.
“Both the principal and Abhishek Kanojia claimed she fell from the swing. They continued to mislead us till the end,” he alleged.
The grandfather further said that CCTV footage from the school premises was recovered by the police Friday evening, and it showed that the girl had been “pushed from the terrace”.
“In the video footage, which is now in possession of the police, she can be seen falling from the terrace. We want justice. Abhishek Kanojia is the main accused and he has murdered my granddaughter. Brijesh Yadav and Rashmee Bhatia are also accused. These people (school staff) can do any mischief because it is a big school,” he alleged.
Circle officer Singh told ThePrint that the girl =suffered several injuries, especially on her right foot which was twisted, and that she remained unattended after the fall for nine minutes.
“She suffered injuries on her head and foot. The foot on the right, the side she fell off from, got twisted. She kept lying on the ground for about nine minutes as there was no one in the school. One worker noticed her sprawled on the ground and took her to the principal’s room,” he said.
“A postmortem has been conducted and it has been confirmed that the girl died due to injuries suffered in the fall,” he added.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
Also Read: Tractor ride, midnight fear: Muzaffarnagar victims recall riots but unmoved by rape verdict