THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Ranchi, July 20: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched a scathing attack on the Jharkhand government over the alleged large-scale sexual abuse of girl students at a missionary school in Latehar district.
Addressing a press conference at the state BJP headquarters on Sunday, party spokesperson Ajay Sah accused senior state officials—particularly the Education Secretary and the district administration—of attempting to cover up the incident instead of ensuring justice.
BJP Cites Legal Obligations, Supreme Court Ruling
Sah invoked Sections 19 and 21 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which mandate that any person aware of a sexual offence against a minor must report it to the police in writing.
He said it is mandatory for the police to report the matter to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and POCSO court within 24 hours.
Quoting the Supreme Court’s ruling in Shankar Kisanrao Khade vs State of Maharashtra, Sah said failure to inform the authorities despite having knowledge of such crimes amounts to a criminal offence under Section 21 of the POCSO Act.
Audio Clip Points to Repeated Offences
During the press conference, Sah played an audio clip in which, according to him, students can be heard accusing a school priest of repeatedly committing sexual offences over the past two years involving multiple girls.
Despite such serious allegations, he said, no FIR has been registered under the POCSO Act so far, which he termed as a blatant violation of the law.
“Are government officials now running POCSO courts in Jharkhand?” Sah questioned, slamming the administration for not initiating legal proceedings even a week after the allegations surfaced.
He also demanded to know under which provision of the POCSO Act the Education Secretary or any other official has the authority to investigate or decide on such matters.
BJP Demands High Court-Monitored Probe
The BJP has demanded that an FIR be immediately registered under the POCSO Act in this case.
It further called for the investigation to be conducted under the supervision of the Juvenile Justice cum POCSO Committee of the Jharkhand High Court to ensure impartiality and transparency.
The party also insisted on stringent legal action under Section 21 of the POCSO Act and other applicable criminal laws against any officials found guilty of suppressing the case.