School Staff Arrested For Alleged Sexual Assault on Nigerian Child in Greater Noida

A book seller employed with a Greater Noida-based school was arrested by the police on Oct. 24 following allegations from a Nigerian family that their child, who studies in Class 6, was being sexually assaulted by a member of the staff inside the school premises for last 4-5 years.

The Nigerian boy has been studying in this school since 2013, when he was in Class 2. “His mother has alleged the child has been sodomized for the past 4-5 years,” Surajpur SHO Girish Kotiya was quoted as saying in the Times of India. “They had been noticing changes in his behavior for a while, during which time his academic grades, which were earlier in the 90s, had also seen a steady decline.”

An FIR has been registered against the school bookseller Ashok Mishra under Section 377 (sexual activities against order of nature) of the IPC and the POCSO (Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences) Act.

Mishra, who lives inside the school premises, was arrested on Oct. 24. A school representative refused to comment on the matter when approached by the publication. District Magistrate BN Singh said he will initiate action. The name of the school is being withheld to protect the child’s identity. No other details were furnished.

The allegations surface when schools in the National Capital Region have been looking into their safety measures after a Class 2 student at Ryan International School in Gurugram, Pradhyuman Thakur, was found murdered in a school restroom early last month.

After Pradhyuman’s death, the Supreme Court heard two petitions regarding children’s safety. Pradhyuman’s father Barun has established a foundation in his son’s name, which aims to make schools more secure for students.

Earlier this year, multiple attacks were reported against African students in the Greater Noida area, following which the expat community took out protest marches. These attacks escalated to violent outbursts on March 27 at Ansal Plaza in Greater Noida, a video posted by Association of African Students in India showed.