Police add six accused including another student and five management members; victims allege months of abuse by senior students at government aided hostel
3 min readMumbaiUpdated: Mar 10, 2026 01:05 AM IST
Police said the five management members, the chairman, treasurer and three board members, were booked during further investigation after it emerged that they were aware of the alleged abuse but failed to inform the police and instead tried to suppress the matter. (Source: File/ Representational)
Police said the five management members, the chairman, treasurer and three board members, were booked during further investigation after it emerged that they were aware of the alleged abuse but failed to inform the police and instead tried to suppress the matter.
Earlier, police had registered a case against seven students and the hostel superintendent for allegedly failing to report the abuse, which investigators believe had been taking place for six to seven months.
District Social Welfare Officer Sanjay Shinde confirmed that the hostel has been shut down. “The Social Welfare Department has revoked the hostel’s permission,” Shinde said. He added that the 35 students staying there are being shifted to a new government hostel.
“The current hostel had approval for 26 students but had been housing 35. The new hostel has better facilities and a capacity of 100 students. The process to increase its official intake has been initiated,” Shinde said.
During the investigation, police recovered evidence from a location near the hostel where the alleged abuse took place.
“All evidence, including blood samples of the victims, swabs, and nail and hair samples, has been collected and sent to the Nashik forensic science laboratory for analysis,” the officer said.
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Police said the victims alleged that senior students would assault them, extort money and force them to consume an intoxicant before sexually abusing them in secluded areas near bushes outside the hostel. The victims were also allegedly threatened with violence to prevent them from speaking about the abuse.
The hostel superintendent, who has also been named in the case for not reporting the incident to the police, has denied wrongdoing and claimed he was being made a scapegoat.
“I joined only a month ago. On February 24, a student informed me about the incident. I immediately informed the management, but they told me to keep quiet as it would damage the organisation’s reputation. I then informed the victims’ parents, who approached the police,” he said.
A senior police officer said another student was also named as an accused after victims mentioned him during their statements.
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“During further investigation, it emerged that members of the management committee were aware of the incident but attempted to suppress it. They have therefore been booked under Section 21 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act,” the officer said.
Police have issued notices to the six accused for further investigation.
Manish Kumar Pathak is a dedicated journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Mumbai. His work demonstrates substantial Expertise and Authority across the complex field of crime reporting, with a strong focus on law enforcement actions, fraud, and cyber security challenges facing the metropolitan region.
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