India convulses again after rape of girl, 7, in Goa
(01-15 13:08)
A seven-year-old girl has been raped in a school toilet in Goa in India, sparking mass protests and the arrest of her headmistress, police said.
The incident was reported in the city of Vasco da Gama yesterday, sparking a manhunt to trace the accused, thought to be in his early 20s.
“The girl was raped inside the school toilet during recess,'' a police official told AFP. He said the toilet was situated next to the headmistress's office at Deepvihar High School, which has a primary section. Thousands surrounded the school last night demanding the arrest of headmistress and the perpetrator.
The headmistress, whose name has been withheld to protect the girl's identity, was initially detained and later arrested for alleged negligence of duty, the police official said.
This arrest comes after the gang-rape of a young girl on a bus in the national capital Delhi last month sparked nationwide protests and fueled anger across India over the alarming incidence of sexual assault. Five men and a teenager have been charged with the rape and murder of the 23-year-old, who died 13 days later in a Singapore hospital from horrific injuries.
Also in Goa, a policeman was arrested accused of sexually abusing sex workers, who said he and two other policemen -– all now suspended –- had been sexually exploiting them in return for protection of their trade.
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