Arunachal ex-hostel warden gets death penalty for sexual assault on minors

Itanagar, Sept 27: A special court in Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday sentenced a hostel warden to death, who has been convicted in a case of sexual assault on 21 minor students of a state-run residential school in ShiYomi district.

Special Judge (POCSO) Jaweplu Chai, who pronounced the death sentence to Yumken Bagra, former hostel warden of Government Residential School, Karo village, Monigong, also sentenced Singtung Yorpen, former headmaster, and Marbom Ngomdir, a Hindi teacher, to 20 years' rigorous imprisonment (RI) for abetment to the offence under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and failing to report the crime.

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, alleging 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 the Monigong Police Station 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 the hostel warden of the school.

Some of the victims had reported the abuse to former headmaster Yorpen, but he asked them to keep quiet, ostensibly to protect the reputation of the school. Two other accused, Tajung Yorpen, a teacher of 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, the SP added.