In an unthinkable incident that unfolded in Kanpur, a NEET aspirant was allegedly subjected to physical attacks and blackmail by two teachers said to be associated with an institution of study.
Keeping her identity hidden during the furthering of investigations, Sahil Siddiqui, a biology teacher, was cited as a suspect who purportedly manipulated the victim along with his accomplice, identified only as “Ritesh Tiwari.”
In her account, during individual tutorship sessions, the accused generated rapport with her. Then they proceeded to blackmail her by recording her dodgy videos, which they used as their sort of clout to keep her quiet.
The victim quoted the initiation of the whole ordeal as being induced by the offending teacher’s offering of private tutoring sessions to her, which she viewed as the teacher genuinely wanting her to do well in the NEET.
However, during these private sessions, usage of inappropriately tortured contact between the teacher and student was reported. Tiwari then allegedly gained participation through the same tutoring sessions in abusing the student, where they recorded several explicit videos of her without her consent.
Legal Action and Investigation
Having captured these videos, both culprits were reported to have blackmailed her with those videos to keep her quiet. They allegedly threatened her with dire consequences, such as making the videos public, if she alerted anyone about the act of abuse being committed to her.
The insistent physical intimidation and threats opened a line of lengthening and terrible stress for the victim before she indeed managed to let her speak about the whole incident to the family. The sheer shock and fury against the family allowed them to report the case to the local police.
The police swung into action in Kanpur and lodged a case based on the victim’s account. Following the arrest of the principal accused, Siddiqui and Tiwari, the police charged them with a few grave offenses: criminal intimidation, assault, and conspiracy.
Evidence, such as explicit recordings and compromising messages that substantiated what the victim had already told the police was available during the preliminary phase of the investigations, and the police subsequently conducted a raid.
Public Outcry and Demand for Reform
Protests have erupted outside a coaching institute, with students and activists calling for strict monitoring and regulation of private educational institutions. Demands have included stringent police background checks on teachers and students to establish safety protocols against possible abusers.
Parents and community members have echoed these calls for an appropriate system where students would have a supportable forum to report incidents of harassment or misconduct.
Women’s rights groups are out in full support of the individual affected, providing legal assistance and emotional support. This incident has pointed to the immediate need for reforms in private coaching centers to safeguard young students, especially in high-pressure situations like NEET preparation, where students could easily fall prey to exploitation.
Such occurrences raise questions about student safety and call for urgent reforms to prevent tragedies from occurring in educational spaces.
