Itanagar: A special court in Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday sentenced to death a former hostel warden who sexually assault 21 minor students in a state-run residential school in Shi-Yomi district between 2014 and 2022.
Special Judge (POCSO) Jaweplu Chai handed the death sentence to Yumken Bagra, former hostel warden of Government Residential School, Karo village, Monigong in Shi-Yomi district.
The court also sentenced Singtung Yorpen, the former headmaster, and Marbom Ngomdir, a Hindi teacher at the school, to 20 years’ rigorous imprisonment (RI) for abetment of the offense under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and failing to report it.
Bagra was convicted under Sections 328 and 506 (administering poison/harmful substance with the intention of committing an offence, and criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as well as Sections 6, 10, and 12 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault and sexual harassment) of the POCSO Act.
The case came to light in November 2022 when a man lodged a complaint with the Monigong Police Station accusing Bagra of sexually assaulting, harassing, and attempting to rape his 12-year-old twin daughters at the residential school.
Bagra (33), a native of Tadin village near Aalo in West Siang district, was arrested on December 13, 2022 in Itanagar 42 days after a case was registered at Monigong PS on November 1 in that year.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) at the Crime Branch Police Station which later probed the case found that Bagra sexually assaulted 21 children, including 15 girls and six boys, aged 6-14 years, between 2014 and 2022 during his tenure as hostel warden at the school.
Some of the victims had reported the abuse to former headmaster Yorpen, but he asked them to keep quiet so that the reputation of the school is not denigrated.
Two other accused, Tajung Yorpen, another teacher in the same school, and Daniel Pertin, an acquaintance of the hostel warden, were acquitted in the case due to lack of evidence.
SIT SP Rohit Rajbir Singh, while acknowledging the immense collaboration and unwavering dedication demonstrated by everyone involved in the pursuit of justice for the victims, said: “This ruling not only addresses the immediate issue at hand but also serves as a critical turning point for the broader societal awareness surrounding the protection of children, reinforcing the collective responsibility to safeguard their rights and welfare.”
The successful conclusion of this case is a testament to the synergy between the investigation, prosecution, media, and judiciary; all working together to ensure that justice was served, he said.