Posted by: pradip August 11, 2008

he Himalayan Times Online
Printed from www.thehimalayantimes.com

Budhanilkantha SCHOOL sex scandal : Board members, scout teacher face interrogation

Kathmandu, July 12:

Following the reports of sexual abuse, the Central Child Welfare Board has called members of Budhanilkantha School management board as well as scout teacher Badri Gautam for interrogation tomorrow.

A team of six organisations, comprising CWIN, Children Women in Social Service and Human Rights, LUNIBHA, the child protection unit of the National Human Rights Commission, Informal Sector Service Centre and CCWB, approached the school after the reports of sexual abuse on July 6.

CCWB executive director Dharma Raj Shrestha said preliminary questioning of the students and school employees did not help establish evidence of abuse by Gautam.

“Students, especially girls, were reluctant to open up and speak against Gautam.”

Only three male students opened up to the team, alleging Gautam had abused them in the dining hall and the classroom, said Pradip Dangol, a CWISH programme officer and member of the interrogation team.

The school management also handed over three complaint letters to the team, each

pointed out Gautam’s alleged abuses.

“Principal Narayan Sharma told us that other complaint letters posted in the complaint box were disposed of as the contents were similar,” said Dangol.

During the preliminary interrogation, the team said they discovered Gautam had let students sleep in his room. “Gautam denied all the allegations and said though he let a homesick student in his room, he was attending a patient at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital during that time. However, his statement contradicted those of other staffers at the school,” Dangol said.

The team questioned principal Narayan Sharma, Gautam and three students. As part of disciplinary action, the school has denied Gautam a promotion for two years and placed him under the observation for a year. He was ordered to maintain physical distance from the students.

“Most students here are reluctant to open up against the school management and Gautam,” Dangol said.

Himalayan News Service Kathmandu, July 17:

Budhanilkantha school said today that the school has initiated the process to expel scout teacher Badri Gautam. Gautam has been accused of sexually abusing school students.
Ramesh Nath Dawadi, teachers’ representative of the school management committee, said, “After investigation by a five-member panel of Senior Management Committee of the school, process has been initiated to expel Gautam.”
Budhanilkantha School management committee said on Thursday that the school was concerned about the possible damage of its image by the sex scandal.

Controversy (from wikipedia)

Recently, a lot of speculation is being made about the prestige of the school after the Budhanilkantha school sex scandal news hit the column of a mainstream newspaper THT (the himalayan times). A scout teacher, Badri Gautam, is accused of harrassing students(both boys and girls)sexually and molesting them. Another interesting thing to keep in mind is that he was found to be guilty of sexual misconduct 2-3 months prior to the incident which resulted in his probation and demotion. Furthermore, the Princpal of the school is accused of trying to save the guilty teacher. The younger girls of the school haven't yet spilled the beans. They are afraid to confront the school authority and disclose what they went through a long time. Even the Principal of the school, Narayan Prasad Sharma, is alleged to have been involved in corruption and trying to be a dictator of the school. Recently, an organisation (Budhanilkantha school Union) was formally established in the school against the Principal's misdeeds(Obviously, he tried his best to stop the organisation from getting a form).Most of the students of the school are dissapointed with the principal and the alumni portal website (www.sebsonline.org) of the school is flooded with complains containing obsece words against him and his allies. Students are craving for a big change in the management that will redeem the school to its original state- the centre of excellence.

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