Driver held for sexually assaulting girl at Delhi school

A 29-year-old van driver of a private school has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a three-year-old girl several times on the premises of the school in outer Delhi’s Bawana area, police said on Monday

A 29-year-old van driver of a private school has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a three-year-old girl several times on the premises of the school in outer Delhi’s Bawana area, police said on Monday.

Driver held for sexually assaulting girl at Delhi school

The victim is a nursery class student and the incident came to light last week after her mother, noticing her “unusual behaviour” and “bruises” on her body, questioned her.

She then told her mother that the accused allegedly lured her with chocolates and sexually assaulted her near the school washroom. This allegedly happened at least twice, police said.

“However, the girl didn’t know the man’s name. The parents went to the school on August 24 when the school administration showed them photos of the staff and CCTV footage from the school. The victim then identified the driver,” said a senior police officer.

On August 24, a complaint was filed by the parents at the Bawana police station. Deputy commissioner of police (outer north) Shobhit Saxena said, “The complainant alleged that her minor daughter studying in the private school had been sexually assaulted by a staff member of the school.”

On the basis of the written complaint, a case was registered under sections 74 (assault against woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and sections 8 (sexual assault), 10 (aggravated sexual assault ) and 21 (failure to report instances of child sexual abuse) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The accused was identified and arrested from the school on August 24.

The FIR only names the driver as of now, police said, but all staff members of the school are being questioned.

Police said that, during the probe, it was found that the accused sexually assaulted the minor twice inside the school campus in the last two weeks.

A survey of the CCTV footage from the school uncovered several videos in which he is seen giving chocolate to young students, said an officer aware of the details of the case.

“In many cameras, he is seen with chocolates in his hand and standing with other children. We are counseling all kids. In the girl’s case, he would follow her to the washroom, offer chocolates and then assault her,” said the officer.

Preliminary investigation found that the school had failed to get a police verification of the driver, who had been working for the school for over a year. Police said they have found that the accused has six criminal cases against him. The cases were lodged previously on charges of theft and robbery.

HT reached out to the school admin but received no response by the time of going to print.

The DCP said that a five-member special investigation team (SIT) has also been constituted to ensure a “professional, fair and time-bound investigation”.

“The victim was medically examined and her statement has been recorded as per procedure. The electronic evidence has been seized and is being examined by the Forensic Science Laboratory,” he added.

Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta questioned the accountability of school management and said schools must ensure proper verification and monitoring of bus staff. “She made it clear that if any school bus staff is found to be involved in such an incident in future, the responsibility of the concerned school would also be fixed. The government will ensure that the responsibilities laid down for safety of children in schools are fully adhered to, and strict action is taken against those responsible wherever negligence is found,” a statement from the CM’s office said.