The school authorities had recently sent back home a Class VI student after he complained of being sexually exploited by two of his classmates
The Delhi government has decided to rehabilitate the students of its Andh Mahavidyalaya on Panchkuian Road to another government school. The decision has come following a spate of complaints of sexual harassment of the hostel inmates by the adults staying there illegally.
"It has been decided to rehabilitate the students to JPM Senior Secondary School for Blind on the Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg, following multiple complaints of sexual and mental abuse by adults staying there illegally," a senior official at the Directorate of Education (DOE) said.
"As of now, 13 students of Class I-IV will be shifted," he said, adding that the hostel does not have enough space to accommodate 103 inhabitants, including 40 students and 63 adults, with no warden to supervise them.
On February 15, DNA had reported that in the last four months, the school Principal has sent three letters to the Delhi government, mentioning incidents of sexual abuse, bullying, rampant drinking, and substance abuse in the hostel where visually impaired adults, aged 18-55 years, far outnumber the minor inhabitants. The letters bore no response.
Meanwhile, irked by the decision, Andh Mahavidyalaya students locked the school gates from inside on Tuesday and denied entry to the school faculty, including Principal Rajinder Dass. "We will not let them enter the school. We don't want to leave this school and hostel," Satyam Kumar, Class VII student, said.
"We can continue to stay here even after our schooling is over. That won't be possible anywhere else. The Principal wants to shut down this school. It is he who should be transferred, not us," Kumar added.
However, Principal Dass said, "Students have locked the gates from inside. They are not ready to listen to us."
A school official further said the adults in the hostel were misleading the students. "They have misinterpreted the letter sent by the Principal to the DoE regarding the irregularities in the hostel. The adults are spreading misinformation among students." He added that though the school had issued an eviction notice to this 'obnoxious gang' in August 2016, they continued to occupy the hostel illegally.
"The school authorities had recently sent back home a Class VI student after he complained of being sexually exploited by two of his classmates," the official told DNA.
The entire matter came to light on January 27, after a hostel inmate filed a complaint with the Delhi Police, claiming that "a gang of former students, mostly overaged, have been mentally and sexually harassing the students under the influence of drugs and alcohol."
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