Social pressure forces 142 girls to end fight against predator principal - Times of India

JIND: After mustering courage to accuse their principal of sexual harassment in the deputy commissioner's report, 142 of those 148 schoolgirls from the district have now succumbed to societal pressure and refused to pursue the case, leaving only six to fight for justice.
The girls who stuck to their statements recorded before the magistrate, include one from the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe community.The fear of the rest came out in the child welfare committee's social investigation report prepared by the women and child welfare department. The accused principal moved a local court for bail, which was denied.
The report was based on visits to all the girls and their families who were involved in this process and they were questioned about pressure, allegations, harassment, trauma, and mental toughness.
One of the officials, who prepared the report, said, "Most of the wronged girls were willing to come forward, while their families were reluctant to pursue the case due to societal pressure and to dodge difficult explanations at the time of their marriage. When one of the strongest of those girls got engaged a few days ago, her family refused to let her continue her battle."
On August 31 last year, 15 school girls wrote to the President, Prime Minister, national and state women's commissions, Haryana governor, and state education minister about the principal's alleged conduct between 2017 and 2023. Later, the number of accusers reached 60 after the women's commission intervened and then the number went up to 142 when deputy commissioner M Imran Raza appointed a three-member committee of Uchana sub divisional magistrate (SDM) Gulzar Malik, the district education officer (DEO), and the district elementary education officer (DEEO). Meanwhile, six girls managed to record their statements before the magistrate.
Social activists have accused the Jind police of failing to win the survivors' trust. The cops took 45 days since the first complaint on September 14 to book the principal, who has since been sacked. The committee that prepared the report claimed that these survivors required counselling and support to overcome social pressure and the fear of losing face by aiding justice.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)

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Social pressure forces 142 girls to end fight against predator principal - Times of India
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