11-Year-Old Girl Raped By 2 Seniors Inside School Washroom; Incident 'Hushed Up'

An 11-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her seniors inside their school's bathroom in the Indian capital of New Delhi.

The matter was "hushed up," according to a statement released by the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Thursday.

"We have received a very serious case of gang-rape with an 11-year-old student inside a school in Delhi. The girl has alleged that her school teacher tried to hush up the matter. It is very unfortunate that even schools are unsafe for children in the capital," DCW Chairperson Swati Maliwal told PTI, as quoted by Mint.

The 11-year-old girl said she was on her way to class when she "collided with two boys" from grades 11 and 12 in July.

"She has stated that she apologized to the boys, but they started abusing her and took her inside a toilet," read the DCW statement. "She has alleged that the boys locked the toilet door from inside and raped her. She has stated that when she informed the incident to a teacher, she was informed that the boys have been expelled and the matter was allegedly hushed up."

"Also an inquiry into the role of school authorities must be conducted on the issue," she added as part of the demand for action.

Although the incident took place in July, the matter only came to light after the DCW issued a notice to the local police as well as the school principal. The victim went to the police to report the rape incident after DCW highlighted what they referred to as a "serious matter."

Officials of the school said neither the victim nor the parents reported the rape incident to them, according to the Times of India.

The school's regional office "is investigating the issue," a senior school official told the outlet. "The incident was not reported to the principal by the girl or her parents. The issue was also not raised at a parent-teacher meeting held after the incident."

"The issue has come to our notice only through the police investigation. We are cooperating with Delhi Police in its proceedings," the official added.

The police said the allegations are being looked into and a detailed investigation is underway. The teacher and students involved in the incident were questioned.