Days after her riveting ‘Beti Bachao’ speech, teen raped by teacher

AHMEDABAD/PALANPUR: A Class X student allegedly raped by her teacher days after winning deafening applause for her Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao speech at a Jan 26 event in her village school in Gujarat‘s Sabarkantha has stood up against the storm in her life to focus on impending board exams and her dream of becoming a cop.
Displaying extraordinary resilience in the face of trauma, she is ready for the exams from Feb 27, three weeks after the assault on Feb 7. The teacher has been arrested.
“I have always dreamt of becoming a police officer. Science and maths are my favourite subjects. I’ll choose my academic stream based on my board results,” said the 15-year-old whose parents are agricultural labourers.
The turmoil in her life was unleashed just 11 days after her rousing Republic Day speech on the importance of saving the girl child and educating her. The 33-year-old schoolteacher allegedly assaulted her after luring her to a hotel on the pretence of his birthday celebrations. He is also accused of threatening to fail her in the board exam.
Ever since the Feb 7 horror, the girl has been living with her father’s sister, who has two exam-facing daughters. “We don’t want people and relatives streaming in daily and disturbing her studies,” her uncle said.
As she maintains the same unwavering dedication to her studies as she did before her ordeal, immense emotional support has come from her two cousins, who study alongside her, offering her company in these trying times. “We are incredibly proud of her courage and determination. We will support her every step of the way, regardless of the challenges that lie ahead,” said her uncle.
Living in a joint family, most members make a living as agricultural labourers. “We don’t want our future generation to toil as farm hands. After all, we are not landowners. We realise the importance of education,” her uncle asserted. The praise isn’t limited to the family as the girl is seen as a beacon of resilience for countless others who falter when faced with far lesser challenges.
The principal of her grant-in-aid school is among a growing list of those applauding her fortitude – just as the Jan 26 audience did. “She has been a bright student who never missed classes. It’s inspirational, to say the least, the way she is navigating these challenging times with courage and resilience,” the principal told TOI.