‘Exploitation of Girl Students’ Government asks Police to probe

Taking serious note of the alleged exploitation of girl students from a school here, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir today handed over the case to police for investigation.

Sources said the issue was discussed at a meeting chaired by Divisional Commissioner Asgar Samoon on Wednesday wherein the case was formally handed over to JK Police.

Sources said the meeting was attended by Director School Education and several senior police officials.

Two girls from Government Higher Secondary School Amira Kadal had complained to the Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) that they were lured by the school authorities on the pretext of providing scholarships.

The written complaint was submitted by the students to DSEK wherein she alleged that one of the female teachers helped them get in touch with coordinator of Centre for Cultural Resource and Training (CCET), a Government of India scholarship provider, to facilitate young children to develop their talents in various artistic fields.

The complainants said the teacher gave them contact number of a self-claimed Director of a Radio Station to the students telling them that he will enable them to participate in cultural programmes.

“The complainants were told by the official to meet him at M A Road on January 9 this year. He boarded us and mothers in a local Sumo taxi and carried us to New Theed, Harwan, but on the way he nowhere stopped the Sumo near any school though he told that there is some school programme,” the complaint reads.

It reads that at New Theed he told the girls and their mothers to come in some house.

“But only I entered into the house at New Theed wherein I found six youths above 20 years of age and I returned outside and cried and took both the students back to the school where I narrated the whole episode to the principal,” writes the mother of a student in the complaint, adding that the principal in turn replied that there was no such programme scheduled by the school and the said teacher must have given the said contact number on her own.

She in her complaint has further stated that had she not returned from said house and carried the students along with her, “there would have been some problem for these students.”

The complaint further reads that he (the official) had told the principal of the school about the program but the principal had refused participation of any student of the school in any private program.

Meanwhile, coordinator CCRT’s Srinagar chapter, Mr. Barki, said a group of 8 students under the age of 15 years are selected for scholarship by CCRT every year and these scholarships are given on the merit to the students based on their performances.

“On the day when they came to Theed Harwan they didn’t enter inside the house where the rehearsal was going on. I am working with CCRT and we have a program in Tagore Hall during the second week of February this year. Many students are practicing for that program,” Barki said.

In the meanwhile, Director Education Dr. Shah Faesal had initiated a departmental inquiry into the matter and appointed Principal Kothi Bagh HSS as inquiry officer. “Departmental inquiry is on and we are waiting for the facts to come out,” he said.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Srinagar, Amit Kumar, said a written complaint was forwarded to them by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir for investigation. “Earlier we didn’t receive any complaint regarding the issue so we didn’t initiate any investigation. Now that the Divisional Commissioner has directed us to probe the case, we are at it,” he said.