Nursery student molested by private school’s van driver in Delhi
The driver was arrested on Sunday after the three-and-a-half-year-old girl’s parents approached the police.
A nursery student was allegedly molested by the van driver of a north Delhi school while she was being dropped back home on Saturday.
The driver was arrested on Sunday after the three-and-a-half-year-old girl’s parents approached the police.
A senior police officer said the school van and its driver were hired by the private school located in Model Town.
The driver was tasked with picking and dropping six to eight girls to and from school. On Saturday, the driver had dropped all other girls and was headed to the victim’s home, when he allegedly fondled the girl.
The girl, who was sitting on the front seat of the van, was allegedly warned by the driver not to reveal the incident to anyone.
When the girl reached home, she was unusually silent. When her mother tried to talk to her, she began crying and said the van driver had threatened her.
When her mother probed further, she learnt of the alleged molestation. The family decided to take up the matter with the police the next day.
“We found out from the school about the identity of the driver and arrested him the same day. He has been booked for molestation and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act,” a senior police officer told HT.
No previous cases against the driver has emerged so far and other children being ferried have not revealed any abuse by him.
“But, the parents of the victim and other girls being ferried by the driver have demanded to know whether the school had followed the right procedure and checked the driver’s background before hiring him. We are probing that,” said the officer.
“We are also probing whether the Supreme Court guidelines such as the presence of CCTV cameras and other security arrangements inside the school’s buses and vans are being complied with or not,” the officer added.