- NCPA refutes arrests of offenders
The family members of the minor who was recently sexually abused at a rugby training camp of a leading school in Colombo and the authorities of the school concerned are in the process of reaching a settlement to the incident, The Daily Morning Sports, reliably learns.
It is understood that the family members of the victim are in the process of resolving the matter with the school authorities, under the proviso that school officials who had been responsible for letting their guard down, being punished at the expense of the schoolboys.
Informed sources disclosed that the family members of the traumatised child are of the view that the future of schoolboys should not be destroyed en masse over the sordid incident, while calling for improved measures to safeguard the disciplinary aspect at all times.
A source close to the family of the minor subjected to the abuse and ragging by a few seniors of the rugby team, however emphasised that they were aghast at how a certain news outlet (not those published by the Liberty Publishers Private Ltd.), had reported the alleged arrest of the captain and four or five seniors of the team by the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) officers linked to the incident.
The family of the victim has apparently condemned the report, insisting that no arrests have been made by the NCPA officers to date, to their knowledge.
They have noted that such fabricated news items could do more harm to children, than those undergone by the victim and those involved in the incident itself.
When contacted, the NCPA Chairperson confirmed that no arrests of players involved in the incident had been made by its officers.
But, she observed that they have produced submissions of the case to the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court stressing that further inquiries were still proceeding, following a complaint filed at the NCPA.
The news report stated that the suspect players from the rugby team had been nabbed by the Special Police Investigation Unit of the NCPA, for having allegedly sexually harassed a 15-year-old member of the team, between 12-24 April during the rugby camp.
The principal of the school has already been quoted as saying in the press, that an internal inquiry over the incident will be held tomorrow (7) involving the players at the centre of the controversy ahead of mulling further action.
The family of the victimised child has also maintained that the school concerned including the principal and masters in charge has to take the rap, over the alleged nightmare faced by the minor and ensure that no room is left for repetition of such acts.
They have further insisted that the principal concerned had also been allegedly misled over the incident by certain officials with vested interests linked to the school and they demand that such officials should be unmasked by the media for all its worth.
The incident, after being given wide publicity by the print and electronic media, prompted the school authorities to withdraw its team midway through an ongoing decisive knockout tournament.
(JK)