Friday, March 20, 2009

Teachers at deaf school in India accused of raping, abusing students

From The Times of India:


CHANDIGARH/SHIMLA, India -- More skeletons tumbled out of the closet of Tutu-based disabled welfare home on Thursday, where six girls in the age group of 13 to 21 were raped and sexually abused by their teachers for months.

The institute for deaf and dumb, run by NGO Prerna Welfare, had been operating illegally since its inception in 2004 to November 2008 when it got registered under the Persons With Disability Act, 1995. The Himachal Pradesh Women Commission, too, has found serious lapses in its functioning. Police had arrested three teachers, including the school principal, in the case.

They arrested the fourth accused, another teacher who was absconding, from Sarkaghat in Mandi district on Thursday. All the accused were later produced before magistrate J L Azad and remanded to police custody till March 23.