A four-and-a-half-year-old boy has been accused of inserting a finger and a sharpened pencil into the private parts of a classmate within the premises of a Delhi school.
The mother of the girl has said that the family will seek strict action in the incident. The mother has blamed the school for neglecting security of the students.
The case is a complicated one. Legal experts say the boy cannot be indicted according to section 82 of the IPC, which states that no child under the age of seven can be prosecuted.
The case poses a number of questions. Here is what we know so far, and what we don’t:
What We Know
Four-year-old boy accused of sexually assaulting his classmate within the premises of a school in Dwarka, West Delhi on Friday, 17 November.
The four-year-old girl told her mother that the boy unbuttoned her pants and inserted his finger and a sharpened pencil into her private parts, leaving her injured.
She said the incident occurred inside the school washroom. Authorities are checking CCTV camera footage to verify whether it showed the boy entering the girl’s washroom.
The mother has alleged that there was no teacher or staff in the washroom to assist the minor girl.
The minor girl complained of abdomen pain after returning from school.
The girl’s parents informed a teacher at the school through a text message on 17 November.
She was taken to Rockland Hospital, Dwarka, West Delhi on 18 November.
The hospital confirmed sexual assault.
According to the police, the girl’s mother approached them on Sunday, 19 November, after approaching the Delhi Commission for Women.
A complaint was then filed at the Dwarka Police Station. An FIR lodged by the victim’s mother has been registered.
A written complaint was filed by the parents at the school on 20 November.
The girl’s mother has watched the CCTV footage made available by the school.
The girl’s mother has alleged that the school authorities “did not act” on the complaint.
The school transferred the minor boy to another section, but mother has demanded his expulsion.
She has demanded that the school management sack the principal, the concerned teacher and the counsellor.
The mother wants the school to issue a public apology.
She has also hinted at pulling her child out of the school.
What We Don’t Know
But there are a number of unanswered questions.
What is the exact timeline of the incident?
Where was the washroom attendant (ayah)? Was she also seen entering the washroom with the girl?
The mother claims there was no attendant in the washroom. The school authorities claim every washroom in the premises has an attendant. Can either of the claims be verified?
Where was the teacher? Why wasn’t he or she around the washroom, where the incident took place?
The minor boy is below seven years of age. How will the Delhi police proceed with the investigation?
Did the minor girl complain about the incident to her class teacher?
What does the school have to say about this incident?
What does the CCTV camera footage show?
Does the boy understand the concept of rape?
Why did the boy do it?
Does the minor boy comprehend the consequences of what he was doing?
The boy’s family has not made any formal statements. What do they have to say?
Also Read: Don’t Criminalise 4-Year-Old Accused of ‘Rape’: Legal Experts
(This is a developing story and will be updated.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)