Parents and guardians of the students studying at the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) school in the Gole Market area staged a protest for better protection of their wards after a class two student was allegedly raped by an electrician inside the institute's premises on Friday, 10 August.
The incident came to light when the six-year-old girl narrated the ordeal to her parents after returning from school on Wednesday, a police official said.
Police added that they suspect that the accused, Ram Ashray (47), had been after the girl for some time since he had tried to pull her towards himself a day before he allegedly raped her.
Headmistress and Assistant Teacher Suspended
The accused, identified as Ram Asre (37), has been working in the school for around a month and is a permanent electrician employed with the NDMC, the police said. He has been suspended by the NDMC and sent to a 14-day judicial custody, ANI reported.
He has been arrested and a case has been registered against him under the relevant section of the IPC and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, they said.
The headmistress of the school, Santosh Rawat, assistant engineer (Electric Department) Tulsi Ram and assistant teacher Shikha have been suspended by NDMC as well.
While the civic body has initiated disciplinary proceedings against them, it has also terminated the contract of junior engineer Saurabh Bisht, who was the accused's supervisor.
She (victim) identified him, and he was arrested... He was working in the school since last one-and-a-half or two months. He is being interrogated, and an investigation is underway... The spot where the incident occured had no CCTV camera.Madhur Verma, DCP, New Delhi, to ANI.
DCP Verma added that the perpetrator threatened the girl, saying that he would kill her parents if she told anyone about the alleged rape.
Delhi Commission for Women Seek Report on Safety Measures
Delhi Commission For Women (DCW) on Friday sent notices to the police and the school authority, asking them to inform the organisation about the safety measures at the institute.
Calling for strong action against the accused, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chairperson Swati Maliwal asked if a background check of the electrician had been done and whether there were safety measures such as CCTV cameras in the school.
The victim's mother has alleged that the school was trying to cover up the matter, Maliwal claimed, asking how male staff had access to toilets for girl students.
Maliwal said Asre should be given capital punishment under the amended Criminal Law. She also asked whether the school has plans to conduct counselling sessions for students and teachers.
The National Human Rights Commission has also issued notices to the Chief Secretary, Delhi government and the Commissioner of Police, Delhi, calling for a detailed report in the matter within four weeks, ANI reported.
Expressing their anguish over the lack of action by school authorities, parents of other students stormed the school on Friday afternoon.
It has been two days after a girl was raped in the school premises and the principal has not taken any action against the accused. How can we send our children to school?A parent, to ANI
Several parents had come to school to pick up their children after the case came to light on Friday, demanding action against the electrician. The parents also demanded all-female staff to ensure better safety of their children, reported ANI.
More than two children were raped in the national capital every day in the first four months of this year, according to Delhi Police data.
Till 30 April, 282 cases of child rape were reported as opposed to 278 last year during the same period. Last year, 894 such cases were reported, as per the data.
In September last year, a 40-year-old peon allegedly raped a five-year-old girl inside the premises of a private school in Shahdara, following which he was arrested.
(With inputs from PTI)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)