Punjab Rape Case: Private schools, colleges shut after school chairman, MD arrest

Federation of Private Schools and Association of Punjab (FAP) and the Joint Association of Colleges (JAC) called for the closure of schools and colleges against the arrest. 

Punjab Private schools and colleges remained shut on Monday in protest against the arrest of the chairman and managing director of a school in a rape case. According to PTI, a four-year-old girl was allegedly raped on the school premises on March 31. While the police are yet to identify the accused involved in this incident, police arrested Sawinder Singh Gill, chairman of the school, and his nephew Jaideep Singh, the managing director, under Section 75 (punishment for cruelty to child) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. After the rape incident, relatives of the victim's family had blocked the Pathankot-Amritsar national highway for 10 hours.

Federation of Private Schools and Association of Punjab (FAP) and the Joint Association of Colleges (JAC) called for the closure of schools and colleges. Jagjit Singh Dhuri, president of the Federation of Private Schools and Association of Punjab, said around 6,000 private schools and colleges remained shut.

He further told PTI, "Police have not got any clue to find the real culprit but have arrested innocent persons who have no hand in the case.”

FAP President is now planning to meet senior police officials on Tuesday to discuss the case and demand a high-level probe into the matter. The Gurdaspur police have done nothing till date but arrested Gill and his nephew, said Dhuri.

Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) Mukesh Kumar, who is also the head of a five-member special investigation team in the rape case informed that the investigation is underway.

Condemning the act, Vishal Mahajan, a member of the FAP, said the real culprit must be put behind the bars but the FIR against the school management must be withdrawn.

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