In yet another case of atrocity against school children, a 6-year-old boy was sexually abused by a 31-year-old school warden at Lamdon School, Shey. The inhuman incident came to light when the victim was having difficulty climbing the stairs after the morning assembly to go to his class on June 16.

 

On being asked, the child narrated the horrifying tale. There were bruises all over his body, including his private parts. A member of the school management approached the police and got a case registered.  

The case, FIR no 39 under Section 377 of Ranbir Penal Code, was filed on June 16 and the accused was arrested on the same day.

The accused is identified as Tashi Gyatso, an unmarried man and a resident of Choglamsar TR camp No. 4.  He has been teaching in the school for the last four years. He was a computer teacher, PA to the Principal and was also serving as the warden since March, 2017. 

The accused had allegedly threatened the boy with dire consequences if he dared to tell anyone about the incident, but the traumatised boy couldn’t help and informed the school staff after an inquiry.

The victim is admitted to the SNM hospital, and needs counselling due to the trauma he has undergone. 

The accused has been sent to judicial custody, says Raja Abdullah, Chowki Officer, Choglamsar.  He said that the investigation is going on. Police said that a team of four doctors is constituted to examine the child. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has also been formed.

Dr. Sonam Dawa, Council chief, addressing a press conference on June 17 at Shey said, “We condemn the inhuman incident. The head warden is on leave and one of the villagers is looking after the hostel. We are doing our best. We are planning to prevent such incidents in future.” 

When asked about the previous incidents, he said, “We don’t know about the previous incidents. We didn't get any report from the Principal about the incident. It was never brought to our notice that the warden used to keep the child in his room. There was no coordination between the warden and the Principal.  And we were in the process of sorting out the differences between the two, and this incident happens.” 

Namgyal Angchuk, a lawyer, who is also a member of the management, said, "Whatever cooperation is needed by the investigating agency, we are ready to help them. The police should be given a freehand to conduct a free and fair investigation. There should not be any pressure from anywhere."

The incident has sparked an outrage among the people, many of whom protested on June 22 at Polo Ground where they demanded a fair investigation. It was organised by the Civil Society Alliance where hundreds of people participated. Later, a memorandum was submitted to the DC, demanding a juvenile home and child welfare board. 

Allegation of apathy

A volunteer teacher has also complained about the mismanagement of the hostel affairs to the president of the managing committee on June 17, but nobody seems to have paid any heed to her complaint. She had complained about the urinary tract infection among the children, and bad quality of food served in the hostel. She further complained about the April 20 incident in which the same child was beaten severely by the warden. The complaint letter reads, “The head warden was informed about the incident but no action was taken to ensure the child’s safety.” The head warden was aware that the accused used to keep the child in his room, but he never acted. 

The Chetsogs Phanday Society, Matho, alleged that the chairman of the school and the Chief Executive Councillor, Dr Sonam Dawa, tried to pressure the SHO and tried to cover up the issue. They also questioned why the CEC or any representative did not visit the child at the hospital.

There are three wardens in the hostel and the head warden has been sent on leave after the incident. When asked, the CEC said, “He was in depression, that’s why we have given him leave for five days.”

Deputy Commissioner Prasanna Ramaswamy G said, “This was a rude awakening for all of us. Whosoever is responsible, not just the accused but people who have shown negligence will be brought to book.  It is not just an act of one individual and it’s an institutional failure. Assuring the people, he said there was no question of any compromise in the case, and anybody who comes forward to even try to meet the family for compromise, will be booked under obstruction of justice. Very soon, child protection services will be here in Ladakh.”

 

What medical report / Expert says: 

When asked, Medical Superintendent, Motup Dorje, refused to share any information and said, “We have already submitted the medical report to the police.”

Neither the police nor medical department is ready to share any information saying that it would hinder their investigation. Be it the poaching case or any other crime-related information, the police is always reluctant to share information and the media is not able to report on such issues in an effective manner. 

Enraged parents

The parents are outraged because they say they learned about the incident a day after. The mother of the child, said, "I was informed on the second day. My son was admitted to the hospital on June16 and I was informed on June 17. How can the hostel management be so irresponsible?"  

What further angered her was the alleged apathy of the school wardens. She is demanding that strict action be taken against the accused. She also alleged that there was no concern from the Hill Council.

Failure of School/ Hostel Management

The greater irony is that the hostel is not under the supervision of the Principal. It is run by three wardens. The accused warden has been keeping the boy in his room for a very long time, and the school management never objected. 

School Principal Gen. L. Sonam said that the hostel was not under his control as the management kepts the school and the hostel under different heads. So he could not interfere in the hostel functioning. He, however, added that the accused had tarnished the image of the school. He said, “Whenever I try to interfere in the affairs of the hostel, the head warden always used to threaten me with Dr Sonam Dawa’s name.

Terrifying Facts

In April, the child was beaten by the same teacher, and the teacher was given a warning but nobody questioned about why he was keeping the child in his room. 

After that, the boy was admitted to hospital for 20 days as his hand was fractured. It’s been only a few days that he was back to school, and this inhuman incident happened. The child was treated in a very cruel manner. There is total chaos in the school and hostel management. It’s a total failure on the part of school management as well as the hostel staff.  

As reported by Tashi Lundup, Editor, Stawa magazine, there were many horrifying reports in the past year on children in the name of education. In 2004, 10 children including five girls and five boys 15 underwent abuse and torture in Mandgya district, Karnataka. In the year 2010, 28 children including 24 boys and four girls below 14 were forcibly taken to Jammu for ‘religious conversion’ and later rescued by police. In 2016, 100 students of JNV, Leh, suffered from food poisoning. In 2015, 76 mumps cases were reported from the Nomadic Residential School due to overcrowding and lack of hygiene. And lastly, the recent case of Nyoma where 20 girls were molested by a doctor. 

Condemning the cruel act, Chief Representative Officer, Tsetan Wangchuk, said the Tibetans in Ladakh and Central Tibetan Administration had condemned the incident. 

 

“The culprit has no option but to face legal action. Whatever help or support is needed from our side, we are ready to give to the victim or the family. It is our responsibility to keep our society away from this kind of incidents. We have zero tolerance for this kind of incident.” 

When asked about compromising the case, he said, “I have no idea about this as I was on an official tour to Changthang.” 

 

In this case too, sources say, the matter would have been hushed up if people were not alert and had not raised the issue.