Pune: A shocking incident has come to light from a school in Pune’s Cantonment area, where a schoolboy is accused of sexually assaulting another boy on the school premises.

The victim, who was threatened and forced into unnatural acts, reported the abuse to the Cantonment (Lashkar) Police Station. A case has been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The assault reportedly took place in the school’s toilet area, where the accused boy threatened the victim, forced him to undress, and committed the assault.

The abuse had been ongoing since May. It was only after the victim confided in his parents and school teachers that the authorities were informed.

Acting swiftly, the police registered a case and launched an investigation. Deputy Commissioner of Police Smartna Patil, Assistant Commissioner Deepak Nikam, and Senior Police Inspector Girish Dighavkar visited the school following the complaint. Sub-Inspector Shivananda Jadhav is leading the investigation.

Awareness campaigns in schools, often led by NGOs, have helped raise understanding of appropriate and inappropriate touch among children, leading to more incidents being reported.

Another recent case involved the abuse of a minor boy by other minors in Kondhwa. In this case, three minors were taken into custody for repeatedly subjecting a 5-year-old boy to unnatural acts, mimicking behaviors they saw in obscene videos.

All the minors involved, including the victim, lived in the same residential complex. The 5-year-old was playing with his peers when the group stumbled upon explicit content on a mobile phone. Under the influence of what they saw, the minors undressed the younger boy and forced him into unnatural acts.