GD Birla principal grilled for 7 hours at Police Headquarters

Kolkata: The principal of GD Birla Centre for Education Sharmila Nath was questioned by police at Lal Bazar, for nearly seven hours on Tuesday in connection with the case of sexual abuse of a four-year-old girl at the school in Ranikuthi in South Kolkata.

Though senior officials in the detective department remained tight-lipped about the questioning, sources said that the sleuths were not satisfied.

"We may summon her again soon," an official said.

Later in the day, the parents of the victim also reached Lal Bazar along with the victim. "The girl's medical examination may take place on Wednesday. We are hopeful that the confessional statement of the victim will be recorded on Thursday. Plea for the same has already been submitted before Alipore Court," an officer in the Women's Grievance Cell (WGC) of Kolkata Police's detective department said.

WGC has taken over investigation of the case on Sunday from Jadavpur police station and lodged a case against the principal of the school on the basis of a complaint lodged by the victim's father, demanding her arrest for trying to "hush up the incident".

The case was lodged under Sections 420 (cheating), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender) and 120B (punishment of criminal conspiracy) of the IPC and Section 21 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offence Act (POCSO) Act.

Education minister Partha Chatterjee said the state will step in. "Even if they are not affiliated to the state board, we have a responsibility in the matter and have to ensure that schools are safe. Now that there are protests on the street, the state can't sit idle. "

The state had set up a team to monitor fees at private schools some months ago. That team may be expanded to monitor school infrastructure, sources said. "We will not go into the schools but will seek their security certificates. "