Supreme Court Expresses Concern Over Assault On School Girls In Bihar.

Facts of the issue :-

The Police said that the attack took place when boys from a nearby village barged into state-run Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya in Supaul’s Triveniganj block. Some of the girls asked them to leave and stopped them from writing objectionable comments on the school wall. The girls hitted them when the boys refused and harassed them.

The boys returned with many others around 5 pm. The attack took place when the girls were going out to play according to Reema Raj the warden of the school. She told “I saw all the villagers, both men and women thrashing them". “They were kicked and beaten with canes.” The girls – aged 12 to 16 – were admitted to a local hospital. Twenty-six of them have been discharged.

Action taken by Police Officers :-

The Bihar Police has arrested nine boys, including a minor, for beating 34 schoolgirls in a government school in Supaul district after they resisted sexual advances in the meantime. To identify more people who were involved in the attack the police were trying.

Assistant Superintendent of Police, Trivenniganj said "We are collecting documents to identify others involved in this case. We don't want any innocent person to get caught in this".

Supreme Court takes SUO MOTU :-

On a day when the Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance and expressed concern over the attack on 34 schoolgirls in Bihar’s Supaul, the district administration arrested nine persons, including five women, in the case.

Earlier the court summoned the Ministry of Women and Child Development to explain what steps were being taken to frame a child protection policy as directed by it.

Who appeared before it, whether the Ministry will consider setting up a national agency to look into issues related to children who face abuse, including their rehabilitation the court asked the official. “Can you think of some kind of a national-level institute or a body where you can get experts from institutes, like Tata Institute of Social Sciences, the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences which are connected with child protection,” the bench asked.

Reply of Official to Supreme Court :-

For any new institution, it will have to get the Niti Aayog and the Finance Ministry on board the officials replied. Justice Lokur remarked “Get them on board. Tell them there is an urgency".

Appearing for the Centre, Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand said a draft of the child protection policy will be circulated in two months and an interim advisory to sensitise investigators, councillors and others dealing with cases of child victims will be submitted in three weeks.

A social audit by NCPCR on the condition of shelter homes across the country is on the ministry said. As soon as the ministry receives NCPCR’s report, it should be examined by experts appointed by the ministry the bench said.