Bengaluru hostel seniors sexually assault Class 10 student, warden held

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The hostel warden of a private residential international academy near Electronics City in Bengaluru has been arrested for allegedly abetting the sexual assault of a Class 10 student by his seniors and classmates.

The principal of the institution, named as suspect number eight in the complaint registered with Bannerghatta police, is also expected to be called in for questioning soon.

"Six students have been booked under JJ Act and Pocso Act, 2012, three from class 12, one from class 11 and two from class 10. They are accused of sexually assaulting the boy and performing acts of unnatural sex by barging into this room at night. Once the suspects' parents arrive, we will continue the investigation," TOI quoted a police official as saying. The official informed that the six students have been directed to remain in their hostel rooms and not go out without police permission.

The 48-year-old warden has been booked under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. He was sent to judicial custody in Bengaluru Central Prison.

The father of the 15-year-old boy, who joined the private international academy earlier this year, filed a police complaint after learning about his son’s ordeal through a phone conversation. According to the complaint, the boy had repeatedly reported the incidents to the hostel authorities, but neither the warden nor the principal took any action. "Instead, they instigated the accused students to attack my son," the father stated in the complaint.

The complaint detailed a series of such events that unfolded over four consecutive nights. On the night of September 3, a group of senior students entered the boy’s hostel room, stripped him, and forced him to dance naked. When he stopped dancing, the students allegedly assaulted him with various objects, including steel hangers.

The following night, on September 4, the same group returned, again forcing the boy to dance naked. When he resisted, he was sexually assaulted.

The harassment continued on the nights of September 5 and 6. According to the complaint, the students poured hot and cold water on him and left him in distress. The repeated attacks caused immense physical and emotional trauma. The father said the warden’s anger stemmed from the boy having helped other students report the warden’s misbehaviour to the principal, which led to the warden allegedly instigating the attackers.