Kheda Teacher Accused of Rape and Blackmail Forces Minor Girl to Quit School
In a deeply disturbing incident from Kheda district, a 13-year-old Class 9 girl in Thasra taluka was compelled to abandon her education, allegedly due to rape, repeated sexual exploitation, and blackmail by her primary school teacher over the past year. The accused, identified as 35-year-old Shailesh Rathwa, exploited his position of authority to target the minor while she was his student in Class 8, according to police reports.
Escalation of Abuse and Psychological Torment
What began as inappropriate advances quickly escalated into a horrific ordeal. Rathwa allegedly raped the girl and captured photographs of the act to ensure her silence, using these images as a tool for blackmail. The trauma inflicted was so profound that the girl moved to Savli to begin Class 9, hoping to escape the abuse. However, the physical distance offered no protection, as Rathwa reportedly continued to stalk her, devising new ways to harass and exploit her despite her attempts to flee his reach.
Driven by the fear that the accused would make the photographs public, the girl remained in a state of severe distress. Her family eventually noticed her deteriorating condition, leading to a confession. Upon learning the truth, the family approached the Dakor police station on Wednesday to lodge a formal complaint, detailing the cycle of abuse that persisted even after the victim relocated from Thasra.
Legal Action and Police Investigation
Senior police officials from Kapadvanj confirmed that a case has been registered under the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, alongside various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The investigation is ongoing to determine whether the victim was subjected to repeated assaults over the period. Currently, the accused remains at large, with preliminary inquiries suggesting that Rathwa had been on leave for the past ten days, fueling suspicions that he fled the area once he realized legal action was imminent.
Multiple police teams have been deployed to apprehend him, with officials emphasizing that this crime represents a devastating breach of the traditional "guru-shishya" (teacher-student) relationship, highlighting the urgent need for stricter safeguards in educational institutions.
