Delhi: Accused sent to 14-day judicial custody over alleged rape of student

New Delhi: The accused in the alleged rape of a class 2 student in the capital was sent to a 14-day judicial custody on Friday. The child, a student of a New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) school, was allegedly raped by an electrician in the institute's premises, said Delhi Police.

The accused, who has been working in the school for over a month and is a permanent electrician employee with the NDMC, was earlier arrested and a case under relevant sections of the IPC and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was registered against him.

The girl was leaving school on Wednesday when the accused, Ram Asre (37) allegedly took her to a pump room in the school premises and forced himself on her, the Delhi Police said, adding he also threatened the girl with dire consequences if she told anyone about it.

The incident came to light after the minor's mother found her bleeding from private parts after returning from school on Thursday. On enquiring, the child narrated the incident to her parents, said the police.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday issued notices to the Delhi Chief Secretary, Delhi government and the Delhi Commissioner of Police calling for a detailed report in the matter within four weeks in the alleged rape of a class two student in the capital. 

Taking a serious note of media reports of the incident the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) observed that it amounts to a violation of the victim's human rights.

According to a statement by the human rights panel, the chief secretary has been asked to also inform the commission whether all the guidelines and directions issued by authorities for the safety of students are being followed by the schools in Delhi, it stated.

Her parents approached police on Thursday, following which a case was registered and the accused arrested. 

Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi), Madhur Verma, said the accused had been working with the school for around two months and was arrested after the victim identified him.

Police said the accused was being interrogated. They said the spot where the incident happened did not have CCTV cameras.

The NDMC suspended four officials. They are accused Ram Ashray, headmistress Santosh Rawat, assistant engineer (electric department) Tulsi Ram and assistant teacher Shikha. While the civic body has initiated disciplinary proceedings against them, it has also terminated the contract of junior engineer Saurabh Bisht, who was Ashray's supervisor.

DCW sent notices to the police and the school's authority, asking them to inform it about the safety measures at the institute.

A representative from the school said the victim's parents came to them at 10 am on Thursday to inform them about the incident, and claimed that the accused was not employed in their school.

"From what we know, the incident occurred after 1:30 pm, when the school gets over. Our school employee not involved in it. The investigation is underway and the child is doing fine. We have been in regular contact with the parents of the victim," she said.

The parents of the victim have been called for a counselling session on Monday to assure them of their child's safety.

Another employee of the school said CCTV cameras were installed on the school premises and four security guards are always posted at the school gate since it is a girls' school.

A number of parents staged a protest outside the school and raised questions about the safety of their children inside the institute. "What is the surety of our child's safety in the school premises? The principal has been on leave for a week. Shouldn't teachers and the vice-principal show more accountability?" a parent said.

Another parent said strict security measures were in place for parents to enter the school premises and asked whether the same measures were in place for others.

According to Delhi Police data, more than two children were raped in the national capital every day in the first four months of this year.
Till April 30, 282 cases of child rape were reported as opposed to 278 last year during the same period. Last year, 894 such cases were reported, the data stated.

In September 2017, a five-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a 40-year-old peon inside the premises of a private school in Shahdara, following which he was arrested.