Hyderabad: Former JHPS school chairman `sexually assaults’ maid; held

Hyderabad: Police have arrested former chairman of Jubilee Hills Public School (JHPS) A. Murali Mukund for allegedly sexually assaulting a Dalit woman.

The case came to light recently. A 24-year-old Dalit woman working as a household employee at the residence of A. Murali Mukund was repeatedly sexually assaulted.

The series of events leading to the arrest are deeply troubling and are being closely examined by the police.

According to the victim's account, the ordeal began shortly after her employment in the Mukund household on June 18, 2023.

Two weeks after her employment, she was allegedly subjected to unwarranted advances and inappropriate behavior by both A. Murali Mukund and his son Akarsh Krishna.

The victim alleged that she was persistently made uncomfortable by their comments and gestures, which crossed the boundaries of professionalism. Matters took a horrifying turn on July 16, 2023, when A. Murali Mukund locked her in his bedroom and coerced her into taking a bath. When she resisted, she was forcefully led into the bathroom. Subsequently, she was blackmailed with threats to circulate her intimate pictures and videos. This led to a sexual assault. The victim's cries for help fell on deaf ears.

What makes this case even more disturbing is that after the assault, A. Murali Mukund reportedly threatened the victim with severe consequences if disclosed the incident to anyone.

On July 18, 2023, when the victim confided to A. Murali Mukund's son Akarsh Krishna, she faced further abuse and was falsely accused of theft. The fear of repercussions kept her from reporting the incident to the police immediately.

However, on October 18, 2023, the victim with the help of her mother filed a complaint at Banjara Hills police station requesting the authorities to take necessary action against A. Murali Mukund and Akarsh for their alleged crimes. They urged police to hold them accountable for their actions and prevent any further harm to other women.

Banjara Hills police registered a case under 376(1), 324, 354, 354(B), 354(C), 506, 509 r/w 109 IPC, and launched an investigation.

Later, as the victim was a woman belonging to the Schedule Caste, SC and ST atrocity charges were added to the case, and it was transferred to the CCS police. Subsequently, A. Murali Mukund was arrested on Tuesday.

He was presented before the court which remanded him to 14 days judicial custody. His passport has also been confiscated. In the meantime, the other accused, Akarsh Krishna, remains at large as police teams are actively working to locate and apprehend him.