Private school owner arrested for raping minor girl in Bhopal: Police

Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh police have arrested the owner of a private school in Bhopal two weeks after he was accused of allegedly raping an eight-year-old girl at the hostel campus, police said on Tuesday. 

Miniraj Modi was arrested after the rape survivor identified him on Monday. Police said they have also detained and suspended an assistant sub-inspector, Prakash Rajput, who allegedly mounted pressure on the minor girl’s mother to withdraw the rape complaint. 

Deputy commissioner of police (DCP), Bhopal City (Zone 2), Shradha Tiwari, said Modi was arrested on Monday by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) after the minor girl identified him. 

Modi is currently under police custody and is being interrogated, said Tiwari, adding that he will be produced before the court after a medical test. 

Meanwhile, the girl’s mother claimed that the police were trying to save the accused. The police conducted her medical test twice and also registered her statement before a magistrate, said the woman, adding that Rajput mounted pressure on her for not registering the case. 

A first information report (FIR) was registered against Modi on April 30 based on the complaint filed by the girl’s mother.  

“My daughter was raped in the last week of April. I came to know on April 29 after she shared her ordeal with me in front of doctors of a government hospital. The doctors also confirmed the rape and injury in the private parts but Rajput came to the hospital and mounted pressure on me for not registering the case”, the woman said. 

The police conducted another medical test and a medical board was formed to give their opinion, even as the doctors at the hospital had confirmed the rape, said the mother. Later, the police also held counselling sessions and the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) held the counselling for two days. “My daughter is just eight years old and already traumatised but the whole process that was adopted by police mentally harassed her”, she added. 

DCP Tiwari said that things were not clear in the FIR. “In the first medical test, the doctors recommended consulting a gynaecologist…later, a medical board was formed. In between, the CWC was approached for counselling. After the statements were registered before the CWC during counselling, suspects were shown to the girl and she identified the accused”. 

Modi said he was innocent and added that a conspiracy was hatched against him. 

In the FIR, three people, including the hostel warden, have been booked under section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offence Act.