TRIDHA couldn’t hear the cries of a three-year-old?

The blog is not a news reporting site but yesterday when we saw a leading newspaper daily, carry details of the incident in the most diplomatic way, we at MaaOfAllBlogs could not let go. Parents from Tridha approached us to carry this story as they want their voices to reach to millions out there so here it is, the uncut version;

TRIDHA is the name given to the goddess that represents Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati and it is also the name given to a School in Andheri East. Unfortunately, the school and mothers of hundreds of children going to the school turned a deaf ear to the cries of a three-year-old. If this is what happens in an Elitist Urban School then I shudder to think about the plight of scores of children who get molested every day in this country.

Yesterday, Mumbai High Court ordered Patrick Brillant, Tridha School Trustee, accused of sexually assaulting a three-year-old and charged under POCSO to remain out of School till further orders. Ideally, in the first place, the school should have taken a preventive measure and kept the accuse away from school premises on it’s own.

But that did not happen. He resumed active duties while on bail. He not only resumed his school duties and but also started what any accused would do – influence the people around.

Why did the parents of Tridha not ensure that the Trustee does not come to School while on bail? Why such a callous attitude towards the mother of a three-year-old who is fighting a lonely battle to get justice for her child? When we read of the chain of events, these were the questions that popped into our heads.

On 18 May 2017 parents of the three-year-old girl had lodged an FIR against Patrick Brillant, French national and an Active Trustee of Tridha School in Mumbai. He was accused of sexually assaulting the girl. But it took the police six months to arrest Patrick in a POCSO case where the law states that the case has to be heard and a judgement given in one year! What is more surprising is that the arrest was made only after the girl’s parents filed a writ petition in the Mumbai High Court.

Within 15 days of arrest, Patrick was granted an unconditional bail. Shockingly, another trustee, Ruth Mehta, sent a mail to all parents suggesting that the worst is over for Tridha and welcomed Patrick in the School and among children. Did she not even think for a second for another mother who was running pillar to post trying to seek justice? Isn’t she responsible for what happened to that child in the school? Did she even hear the child’s mother or help the child get assistance to face the trauma?

On 5th January 2018 Charge sheet was finally filed but the accused was roaming free in the school. Interestingly, a section of parents was writing to the school trying to explain that the school cannot allow Patrick to resume duties while on bail and interact with children thus putting other kids at risk. But their pleas went unheard.

In fact, an anxious parent even wrote separately to the school Principal and the other two trustees asking them why she should send her child to the school when Patrick Brillant, an accused is roaming freely among children there. Patrick responded to that mail out of turn in which he equated himself to Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. Even Media reported this blasphemy. Even then hundreds of other parents did not find anything wrong with this.

Left with no choice, some parents decided to file an intervening application in the High Court to restrict Patrick Brillant from entering the School premises alongside the Bail Cancellation application filed by the girl’s parents.

More on this after Monday’s hearing. Wait for a follow-up post.

p.s. Co written by parents of senior and junior grade students of Tridha.