Two autistic brothers from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh were allegedly raped, burnt, and beaten in a boarding school for special needs children in Dehradun. Both the brothers, aged 9 and 13, broke down in front of their mother when she visited them on May 30. She took them to her friend’s office near the school, and there they shared what had happened to them at school. They said that a staff member allegedly hit them, burnt them with cigarettes and raped them after they were admitted in April. They named the accused as Monu Pal. The 29-year-old accused is a resident of Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh. The mother filed a complaint with the local police. In her statement, she said that the accused used cigarettes to burn her sons to instill a fear in them so that they would stay silent.
The Superintendent of Police (Dehradun City), Pramod Kumar, stated that a case was registered against the accused under sections 64(2) (rape) and 115(2) (causing hurt) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as well as under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The police also arrested the accused, and he is in police custody as of now. The police also spoke with two boys with the help of a translator from a committee of child welfare.
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In this case, CCTV footage from the boarding house is being taken as the key evidence. The Police are also trying to reach out to the families of other children who lived there. Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) Chairman, Geeta Khanna, said in the same room as the accused, four autistic children were sleeping on bunk beds at the boarding house. A woman who also ran a nearby special education prep school was operating the facility without valid permission. Four of the fifteen pupils at that institution resided at the boarding house. Despite being registered in Delhi, the trust that operated the school had not notified the local government. Geeta Khanna said that the accused was hired on May 16 and began abusing the children soon after he started working there.
Police are investigating this case, and the authorities are working to ensure that all kids are safe.