'School Director's Son Raped Me for 2 Years, Principal Helped Him. I Was 12'

Video Producer: Aliza Noor

Video Editor: Mohd. Irshad Alam

Cameraperson: Yash Bhanot

(Trigger warning: The story contains details of rape and sexual assault)

In Bihar’s Saharsa, Sana* is haunted by traumatic memories of grave sexual assault that have affected her since her childhood. When she was between 12-14 years of age, the son of her previous school's director allegedly “raped and assaulted her daily for two years” and the "principal helped him to do so.” Sana recounted her ordeal to The Quint.

At the intersection of preparing for NEET and deciding on her plans for the future, Sana finds herself stuck in the middle of depression and panic attacks induced by the trauma of sexual abuse.

The case has created an uproar in Saharsa, with the survivor's family asking for punishment against Samrat Vishwas, son of the school's director Ajit Vishwas, and the principal, Anita Mishra. They allege that the police investigation “is not being done as it should be.”

An FIR has been filed in Saharsa Sadar police station, under Section 376 of Indian Penal Code (Punishment for rape) and 4/8 of POCSO Act (Punishment for sexual and penetrative sexual assault of a minor). The Quint has a copy of the complaint.

Sana, who had long lived in fear and anxiety of what had happened in that school, spoke to The Quint about what she has gone through over the past few years and how her case has come forth now.

‘I Was a Child, Took Me Two Months To Fully Understand’

It began when Sana was in class 6th at the Shanti Niketan Shikshan Sansthan, a co-ed school in Saharsa.

The students came to school in batches in the morning and waited in the classroom before the assembly began.

One morning, she was alone in the class waiting for the others. It was then that the principal, Anita Mishra told her to accompany her to the library as she had “some dues to clear”.

Unsuspecting, Sana went with her. “There's a door in the library through which there's another room. She said, ‘You go, I will come.’

"I didn't know the director's son was already there. She went out, locked the door and switched off the light. Music was playing on the TV at full volume. There were no students there in the library either,” she said.

The library building is also a little away from their classrooms, divided by a ground in between. Mishra was “guarding the door from outside,” said Sana.

Sana added that she told Vishwas, ‘Don't do this’ repeatedly. “This was the first time it happened, I couldn't process it or understand,” she alleged.

As per her account, Vishwas asked the principal if there was no one outside and left. In the haggard and violated state that she was in, Sana decided to run away but Mishra caught hold of her.

Sana then attended her classes as per usual and then went home. 

She claimed, “Next day, it happened again. It became a routine that I had to go to him every morning and the principal took me and guarded the room every day.”

Sana also alleged that Vishwas mostly targeted girls from 5th-10th standard. “Even if he didn't sexually assault any other girl from those classes, he did it to me daily whenever I went to school.”

Sana began menstruating early. The first time, she said, was so horrible that she was in bed the whole month. As she became weak and more vulnerable, she also got Leukorrhea.

‘Family Only Found Out When I Told The Psychiatrist’

After 8th standard, Sana changed schools. She switched to an all-girls school as she had developed “a fear of boys and men".

In the previous school, she had only confided in one friend who was allegedly quite close with Vishwas and was “a fan of him,” and so were the other boys in the hostel, she stated.

In the new school, she shared what she had gone through with her new friends who told her to take legal action and supported her mentally. In the past few years, she had panic attacks several times but never in front of her family.

She moved to a hostel in Patna to prepare for NEET examinations. It was here that in August this year, she suffered a panic attack when her friend told her that Vishwas was in Patna. She was admitted to a hospital overnight. 

Her parents were called in and her roommate stated that she is not doing well mentally. The doctors directed her to a psychiatrist.

“I finally pushed myself and told the doctor and my family about everything that had happened. That was the first time my family got to know,” said Sana.

As per the psychiatrist report that The Quint has accessed, she has been diagnosed with depression, has had multiple instances of self-harm and alleged abuse. The family however stated that the psychiatrist who recently diagnosed her has not given his account to the police yet. The Quint reached out to the doctor and the response will be added when received.

On 9 September, Sana has also filed the case with the National Commission of Women (NCW). The chairperson, Rekha Sharma confirmed to The Quint that they have taken cognisance of the case and she will ask “her office to expedite” the same. On 11 September, the survivor wrote another complaint to NCW.

Some days ago, Shivdeep Lande, the DIG of police also posted on Facebook that this case "shook him" and added that other girls had also reached out to him about their accounts.

‘She Still Says: Mujhe Mat Chuo, Mat Maaro’

Back then, Sana had confronted both Vishwas and Mishra.

“When I told the principal that I will tell my family, she said: ‘what will you tell? Nothing of this sort has happened.’ And when I confronted Vishwas, he told me he had made videos of me and that I will be defamed, my parents won’t believe me and society will boycott me, that’s how he blackmailed,” Sana recalled.

The Quint has accessed the video in which she is saying this repeatedly as she is half-awake, her body is twitching and she breaks down too as the family tries to comfort her.

On 7 September, the family also took a candle march in the city to protest against the accused and put more pressure on the case.

Meanwhile, the school's management posted on Facebook that the case is a "conspiracy to malign the school's image." On 7 September, they wrote, "we have full faith in the police investigation and the court."

Family Suspects Foul Play, Urges Police to Act ‘Faster’

Sana's brother has alleged that IO tried to manipulate the evidence.

He said, “The IO was not even writing down my sister’s testimony at first, She too was pressurising her when she came home. Even when she was having a panic attack, she said if you don't come to the police station then I won't write all the names."

Among the family's demands are: Speedy trial, investigating into and shutting down that school, seizing all electronic devices of Vishwas and checking them and setting up an SIT for an independent probe.

Talking about her daughter’s behaviour, Sana’s mother told The Quint that she used to come from school and go to her room and the family thought  that “she's generally tired from school as it was a little far away.”

The mother said, “We have no choice but to stay strong. We are doing what we can and are trying to fight this. I support her and keep encouraging her as much as I can.”

As for Vishwas and Mishra, I want them to get the strictest punishment. They should be punished so harshly that they never think of doing something like this to anyone. I want him to be hanged.

Sana's mother

Sana’s family has been living in Saharsa for around 35 years. Her father, a lawyer, is the main breadwinner of the family.

He alleged that when Sana’s other classmates told her that Vishwas had sexually assaulted them too, she had directed them to speak to the IO, however, the police official Rupam Kumari lashed out at the father for sharing her number. The father said, “they should write it down and cooperate but she told me that they will only take accounts of the girls in person.”

The FIR was filed on 28 August. Their official lawyer, Advocate Avdhesh Kumar Singh told The Quint, “The family still hasn’t received a copy of the FIR so we have applied for it. Once the police file the chargesheet which they should within 60 days under POCSO Act, will this become a speedy trial.”

The family also stated that while both the culprits were arrested, the principal was released in the evening and arrested again 4-5 days later after the family agitated. “The police said she was only called for inquiry initially, but we agitated and told them that Mishra is one of the main accused and is clearly responsible in the crime,” said the father.

What the Accused's Father Said

The Quint spoke to the accused Samrat Vishwas' father and the school's director Ajit Vishwas.

He said, "The case only came about when her brother complained. Before this, we had never received any such complaint against my son, otherwise we would have acted on it".

In a statement that is indicative of victim blaming, Ajit Vishwas said, "Now, I don't know about the girl, she remembers it now because of her trauma. But she is active on Facebook and has photos with different boys also, so what to say."

"The principal she has accused, also has children who have studied in IIT. But if they (Samrat Vishwas and Anita Mishra) have committed such a crime, then they should be punished. We have faith in the court's decision whatever it will be," he added.

What the Police Said

Speaking to The Quint on the condition of anonymity, a police official closely involved in the investigation of the case, said, “We are still in the process of accounting for all the statements, even of the doctors and investigating all angles.”

The police official denied allegations that the principal was released earlier and said that both the accused are in Saharsa jail.

Meanwhile, as per doctor’s directions, the family stays up till late night to check on Sana to never leave her side. Besides panic attacks, she had tried to harm herself again with a knife a few days ago and then fainted.

“I have paused my work for her fight. I can't fight my cases now when I am fighting to get her justice. All we want is more people to know what Vishwas and Mishra have done to my child and other girls and be punished for it,” said Sana’s father.

*all names have been changed to protect their identity.