Rape victim barred from appearing in RBSE Class 12 board exams in Ajmer

JAIPUR: A class 12 student of a private school in Ajmer, Rajasthan, could not take her board examinations as her school principal banned her from attending classes after she was allegedly gang-raped, stating that her presence would “spoil the atmosphere”, officials said on Friday. The school removed her name and issued a transfer certificate due to which the victim could not appear for her board examinations, they said.

The matter came to light when the victim and her father approached the District Child Welfare Committee’s president Anjali Sharma. “The girl did not know how to deal with this. She got in touch with a government school teacher who told her to call the child helpline number. They told them to contact the District Child Welfare Committee,” Sharma said. The victim in her complaint said that the school principal told her not to attend the classes as her presence would “spoil the atmosphere”, Sharma said.

"The girl was allegedly gang-raped in October last year and the accused were arrested. The victim said that after the incident, the principal of the school told her not to come to the school as it would spoil the atmosphere of the school. The girl did not go to the school," she added. However, when she contacted her school before half-year exams in December, they told her that her name was removed, Sharma said. "She could not appear in the final board examinations, ” she added.

Sharma has forwarded the complaint to the district collector and education department following which an inquiry was conducted by the district education officer on Friday. Chief District Education officer Om Shankar Verma said that a team from the education department conducted an inquiry on Friday and it was found that the school issued the transfer certificate (TC) against the rules. "The school cut her name and issued her TC forcefully. It was against norms," Verma said. The inquiry report will be forwarded to the director for further action in the matter, he added.