GREATER NOIDA: Around 15 people of African origin staged a protest in front of a leading private school in Greater Noida on Thursday against a criminal case lodged by police against its two Class XII students — one Nigerian and the other Afghan — for an alleged sexual assault on a junior student of another school in October last year.While the complainant’s father has alleged that the two boys took his ward to the washroom of the school and touched him inappropriately during an inter-school event on October 31, the protesters claimed the two senior students were innocent and their future was at stake.“My brother is innocent. Nothing happened inside the washroom. My brother was only accompanying the complainant to the washroom on instructions of a teacher as he did not know the place. The school has suspended my brother and now, an FIR has been lodged. His future is at stake,” said the sister of the Nigerian student.According to the school authorities, the alleged crime took place on October 31 when the boy — a class VIII student of another school in Greater Noida — had come to their institution to participate in the event. “There was an argument between the three students on that day, and the Nigerian student told us he was targeted with a racial slur by the complainant, which led to an argument. The two children then accompanied the complainant to the washroom and the CCTV captured the trio coming out after three minutes,” the school principal said.One CCTV footage has captured other children moving in and outside the washroom during that time. In another CCTV footage, however, the two accused can be seen leading the complainant to the music room where some Afghan students were already present. Both the videos are in our possession.In this footage, the accused Nigerian student could be seen holding the complainant’s hands from behind, while the other children were passing remarks. The Class XII student can subsequently be seen putting his arm around the complainant’s shoulder and accompanying him outside the class, as the others exchange a laugh.While there was no complaint on that day, the next day, a mail was shot off from the complainant’s school to this school’s principal, alleging that the boy was misbehaved with.The student’s father later alleged that the accused boys had touched his son inappropriately and approached Kasna police, which lodged an FIR under Section 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) of IPC and sections 7 and 8 of POCSO Act on November 13, about 10 days after the complaint was received.According to police, the complainant recorded his statement before a magistrate under CrPC Section164. “Let the juvenile justice board take a call on the case,” said SP (rural) Vineet Jaiswal.

Stay updated with all the Noida Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.