The girl’s mother has also claimed that no proper action was taken by the police immediately after the case was reported. She further accused officials of having made the young girl and her family wait for hours at the police station.
A three-year-old girl was allegedly raped at a private school in Delhi’s Janakpuri area by a 57-year-old staff member, police said on Friday. The purported incident of rape is said to have taken place on the second day after the child was admitted to the school.
The complaint in the case was lodged by the girl’s mother after the alleged sexual assault surfaced on May 1, news agency PTI reported. According to the complainant, her daughter complained of pain after returning home from school on April 30.
When the child was questioned by her mother, she allegedly revealed that she was taken to an isolated area in the school premises by the school caretaker and assaulted there.
On the basis of the complaint, the police invoked section 64(1) (punishment for rape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against the man.
Officials said the accused was positively identified by the child. Following this, he was arrested on May 1. The man was later produced before a court and sent to judicial custody.
However, he was reportedly granted bail by a court in the city on Thursday, May 7, despite strong opposition from the prosecution. The police said they are examining CCTV footage on the school premises.
INACTION ALLEGATIONS AGAINST POLICE
The girl’s mother has claimed that no proper action was taken immediately after she reported the case. The woman also said that a school teacher was involved, and that he was questioned during the police probe.
She further accused officials of having made the young girl and her family wait for hours at the police station during the investigation.
Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj, in a statement, strongly criticised the granting of bail to the accused caretaker.
He also echoed the mother’s allegations, claiming that the family members were threatened by the DCP West.
“Imagine a child being admitted to nursery in a private school and returning home on the very first day, only for the parents to discover that a 57-year-old caretaker raped the child,” he was quoted as saying by PTI.
COPS COUNTER CLAIMS OF LAXITY
The police countered the allegations made by the girl’s mother, and Bharadwaj. A statement issued by the office of DCP (West) Vichitra Veer said the action was taken immediately after the girl was medically examined.
The accused was arrested the same day the child identified him. Her statement was also recorded before the court and “relevant CCTV/DVR footage along with other exhibits were seized as per law,” the release said.
The police further asserted that the investigation was carried out in a fair, professional and impartial manner based on scientific evidence, forensic examination, witnesses’ statements and the merits of the case.
“Certain media reports alleging harassment or intimidation by police officials are false, baseless and contrary to the actual facts of the investigation. The complainant and the girl were provided a comfortable, child-friendly environment during the inquiry proceedings and were called only for lawful inquiry and counselling purposes, considering the sensitivity of the matter,” the statement read.
“DCP West has never met the parents of the victim, as alleged on the contrary,” it added.
The statement also said that the detailed bail order is being examined, and available legal remedies are being considered.(IT)
