Uma Khurana: Teacher turned sex broker

SCHOOLS ARE RATED as the best institution after home for the socialization of children and a teacher is considered as the best mentor who can groom, nurture and shape personality of children as per the customs and traditions of society. What will happen if the architect of children’s personality turns out to be a sex broker?

The whole nation was shocked when the TV channels showed in their sting operation that a Government School mathematics teacher, Uma Khurana, was forcing children into prostitution. It is a bolt from the blue for every responsible citizen of India. As news flashed on TV channels, the anxious and angry parents rushed to Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya on Asaf Ali Road to take care of their children. Later, she confessed her involvement in the sex racket during interrogation by police. It is an irony that she was suspended from her previous school (Vivek Vihar Branch) in December last year because of her poor teaching ability. But her reinstatement at the Bubuli Khana Branch raises question over credibility of bureaucrats.

During the interrogation, she has also confessed that a number of influential persons are involved in sex racket. It is true that these crimes cannot be complete without the involvement of powerful persons. It seems that the influential and powerful people are also operating in it. It is unfortunate that our judicial system has a number of loopholes and because of that we are unable to bring truth before the court of justice. This is the reason why most of the times the accused get away scotfree, which, in turn, boosts other criminals to do so.

This incident has created chaos among the parents, especially for those who have kept their children in boarding schools. This is not the first case of its type. It has become a daily routine affair. Everyday, Newspapers and TV News Channels give information of incidents of rape and molestation of students. Since it is ironical of Indian society that they hate victims rather than the criminals very few people have courage to lodge FIR and most of the cases go unnoticed.

Recently, another MCD schoolteacher was suspended. In order to avoid unpleasant events with children, MCD authority transferred male teachers to the boys’ schools. Generally we believe that females can understand pain of girl child, but here case is just the opposite as a female becomes planner of hell for another female.

We are well aware that Khurana alone does not conduct trafficking. Chief Minister Sheila Dixit has shown special concern over it. Police is investigating her phone record and has also nabbed Virender Arora in connection with a sting operation by a private TV channel. But this whole affair has opened the truth of dishonesty of police. This was nothing compared to Nithari episode in which Punjabi businessman, Moninder Singh Pandher and his servant and aide, Surender Koli had brutally raped and killed uncountable number of innocent children. Despite the fact that CBI has indicated that it is not only a case of killing and raping children, but also that influential people are involved in it who operate organ transplant racket, but nothing has been done. Can we believe that only two people were involved in the Nithari episode?

It is also a bitter truth that more than 50 per cent of India’s female population does not know how to read and write and this heart-wrenching incident will create insecurity in the minds of parents. They will be compelled to think twice before sending their daughters to school. If we are unable to stop it, our literacy rate will go down.

It is high time to think over these episodes. We are aware that Khurana is not alone. There are a large number of Khuranas walking on the road to catch our children. It is not only the case of Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya but of the whole world. These types of people have no caste, class, region and religion. Their victim may be Muslim, Hindu Christian, Sikh, Jain or Jew. It is our prime duty to cope with it. The whole country should come on single platform to teach an unforgettable lesson to people like Khurana.

Editorial Update: The sting operation conducted by Live India TV boomeranged for the channel itself. Investigations reveal two associates of Uma Khurana concocted a ploy in a bid to teach the school teacher a lesson who owed them money. They used the channel and an aspiring journalist to act as a prostitute and defame Khurana. As per media reports including NDTV and HT, The school girl who acted as the victim has been arrested by the crime branch and further investigations are on.