Roller-skating instructor in India allegedly charged with child rape

Indian students of Saint Joseph Degree college participate during an anti-rape protest in Hyderabad

BANGALORE, July 21 ― A roller-skating instructor was due in court today over the alleged rape of a six-year-old student which sparked protests from outraged parents, an official in the Indian city of Bangalore said.

The 30-year-old instructor at a top private school in Bangalore was arrested yesterday over the alleged assault on the premises earlier this month, the city's police commissioner said.

Police also seized a laptop containing child pornography from the instructor, who had worked at the school since 2011, commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar told reporters.

“The videos were downloaded from porn sites through the Internet,” Auradkar said late yesterday.

“He is married and has a three-year-old child too. We will produce him in the local court on Monday and seek his custody for further interrogation and investigation,” Auradkar said.

Angry parents have held a series of protests in Bangalore over the incident, as India struggles to rebuild its battered reputation over levels of sexual violence in the country.

Police said the girl had complained of the July 2 attack to a teacher at Vibgyor High School. But her parents only learned of the incident a week later when she shared details with them.

The child was allegedly assaulted in a classroom at the school, a top fee-paying institution favoured by local politicians and businessmen.

The instructor supervised roller-skating activities for the students as part of the school's sports programme.

India is especially sensitive to cases of sexual violence after the 2012 fatal gang-rape of a student on a moving bus in New Delhi, which led to a public outcry and new tougher laws to deter rapists.