A special fast-track POCSO court has framed charges against two staff members of a Sector 24-based autism rehabilitation centre for children, booked for sexually assaulting an NRI couple’s autistic son in February this year.
The charges against attendant Anjali and supervisor Mehak have been framed under Section 10 (aggravated sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The boy’s parents had filed a police complaint after finding injury marks on his body.
Subsequently, on February 6, a case was registered against six persons (staff and senior officers of the centre) under the POCSO Act at the Sector 11 police station. However, the chargesheet has named only two accused.
As per case files, on February 2, the boy’s father marked a complaint to the Chandigarh SSP against the staff and director of the centre regarding physical, mental, emotional and sexual abuse and harassment of his 10-year-old son.
The father submitted that they were Australian citizens, who temporarily moved to Chandigarh for quality therapy of their child.
“The director of the centre assured best care and support to improve the child’s condition. Hence, we temporarily moved to Chandigarh and in December 2021, we enrolled our child at the Mohali branch of the centre and in mid-2023, they shifted the child to the Chandigarh branch in Sector 24, as they were told that this branch deals with children of NRIs and has international standards,” the father stated in the FIR.
{{/usCountry}}“The director of the centre assured best care and support to improve the child’s condition. Hence, we temporarily moved to Chandigarh and in December 2021, we enrolled our child at the Mohali branch of the centre and in mid-2023, they shifted the child to the Chandigarh branch in Sector 24, as they were told that this branch deals with children of NRIs and has international standards,” the father stated in the FIR.
{{/usCountry}}A few months later, the parents noticed that the child had started behaving in a strange way. “He was fearful of going to the centre. When we tried to go near him, he would clench his shoulders forward and raise his arms to cover his face. He became irritable and avoided eating. He was fearful when given a bath and would cover private parts immediately. Soon, we noticed bruises on various body parts,” the father further told police.
He said when authorities were informed, they said it was normal and that he might have fallen. But when with time, the child became paranoid about going to the centre, the father took one therapist into confidence, who told him “some staff and therapists verbally and physically assault these children to quiet them into submission so that they don’t trouble them”. Some staff also took them to the washroom, took off their clothes and touched their private parts.
The complainant said the therapist mentioned that their son was repeatedly subjected to physical abuse by his therapists, including hitting where he developed bruises. One attendant Anjali and supervisor Mehak would take him to the washroom daily, where they would disrobe him, examine and touch his private parts.
The therapist’s affidavit was attached with the chargesheet submitted by the police.
Opposing the allegations, the defence counsel submitted that these were false allegations to malign the institute. “Every room has CCTV footage and no camera has captured the assault. Also, the child was there for two years and why did the therapist not say a word earlier?” the defence counsel contended.