Uran ZP school students now claim rape

In a significant development in the Uran school molestation case, two students have now said they were raped by the accused. Police had arrested Datta Jadhav, a zilla parishad school teacher, on Sunday for allegedly molesting several girls of the school where he had been teaching for the last four years, as well as for making video clips of them.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II, Navi Mumbai) Pramod Shewale said, "We have added rape charge against Jadhav and booked him for aggravated penetrative sexual assault under the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences Act, 2012." Jadhav is the first accused in Navi Mumbai to be charged under the recently introduced act.

Though police were making inquiries with seven students on Tuesday, Shewale on Wednesday clarified that conclusive evidence pointed to there being three victims so far, and two of these were allegedly raped.

Police said the principal, Vinita Patil, had issued instructions to teachers so as to ensure that Jadhav was not disturbed or found out while he molested his victims. Patil was later arrested. "She had instructed teachers not to come to her office once they had signed the muster. Her office leads to an inner room, where Jadhav molested the victims," Shewale said.

Police said Jadhav was also booked for making pornographic clips of children.

"We have contacted the Child Welfare Commission, and victims' statements will be recorded in their presence. We are trying to find out if there are more victims," Shewale added.

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