17 School Girls Sedated And Molested After Being Told To Stay Back For 'Practical Exams'

In a shocking incident, 17 girl students were sedated and molested by a school owner and principal, after being told to stay back for "practical exams." Police said the girls were taken to another school in the vicinity under the guise of "back-to-back practical examinations."

The victims are students of a school in the Indian city of Meerut. Reports said the incident happened Nov. 18, reported The Times Of India. Both the school owner and the principal were arrested Monday.

Police said the principal had informed the girls' parents that they would have to stay back for practical examinations. The parents trusted the principal and decided to let the girls stay despite the fact that there was no female staff or companion.

"We were told that it would be very time-consuming for the girls to travel to and fro the same day," the father of a schoolgirl told the news outlet Monday.

The parent added that they were not too worried about their safety as they were in a large group. "We thought they can take care of themselves together," he added.

The principal then took the girls to another school in the vicinity, owned by the other accused.

According to a victim, they were served a rice and lentil dish, following which they fell unconscious. Another girl said she woke up in the morning and found one of her friends crying in the washroom.

"She told me something bad had happened to her in the night. A few others said they could feel something was not right with their bodies," a victim was quoted by The Times Of India.

The girls returned home on the same day and complained to their parents. On inquiry, the parents found out that none of the 14 boys in their class were asked to stay back for the "practicals." The school has a total of 250 students.

Though two parents came forward to file complaints, allegations are rife that the local police tried to hush up the matter, said reports. However, the incident came to the attention of the local representative, who alerted higher officials.

A police inquiry has been opened, and action was taken against the local police. All the girls belonged to poor families and were allegedly threatened if they revealed the incident to anyone else.