India rape: Principal accused of raping young girl after interrupting teens

The principal is being held in jail. Photo / 123RF

Warning: This story discusses sexual assault and may be distressing

Four teenage boys and a school principal have been accused of rape after a horror case in India that allegedly saw the principal chase the boys away from their 14-year-old victim, before assaulting her himself.

Police in the eastern state of Bihar told media that the principal followed the boys after hearing the victim’s screams.

Rakesh Kumar, superintendent of police for Kaimur district, told the Hindustan Times that the survivor, who belongs to a lower caste group often known as Dalit, told police she was targeted when she went into the fields to relieve herself.

The four boys, reportedly aged between 13 and 15, then forced her to go with them to a secluded spot before subjecting her to a group sexual assault.

The principal, Surendra Kumar Bhaskar, went to the scene after hearing her screams and the boys reportedly fled when he approached.

The girl told authorities she believed that the principal would help her. Instead, he raped her and left her bleeding in the bushes, the Hindustan Times reported.

She then made it home where she told her mother about the attack, who took her to a local police station.

Kumar said the principal was arrested and is being held in jail, while the four boys have also been found and will appear before a juvenile justice board.

The girl is recovering in hospital.