A school principal in Gujarat was arrested for the murder of a six-year-old female student after she resisted his attempt to sexually abuse her.
According to a report in The Indian Express, the girl's mother asked the principal to take her to school because he was driving from their village to school. On the way, he tried to force himself on the child and smothered her when she started screaming.
The incident took place on Thursday in Gujarat’s Dahod district.
The principal who tried to divert the investigation with lies confessed after the police interrogated him. The investigation also revealed that the principal took longer than usual to reach the school on Thursday.
He allegedly disposed of the body in the school's backyard after students and staff left. During the day, he left the body in his car. One of the students told the police they saw the girl "sleeping" in his car during the day.
Rajdeepsinh Zala, the Dahod superintendent of police, said the investigation determined that the child was last seen with the principal. The mother sent off the child at 10.20 am. Statements from other staff and students showed that the girl did not attend school that day.
However, the principal had left her footwear outside the class and her bag inside the room in an attempt to mislead the police. He claimed that he did not know of her absence until one of the teachers called him in the evening. The police investigation refuted this claim.