A class two student of a New Delhi Municipal Council school was allegedly raped by an electrician in the institute's premises, police said today.
They said they suspect 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.
The seven-year-old girl was leaving school on Wednesday when the accused allegedly took her to a pump room inside the school premises and forced himself on her, police said.
He threatened the girl against disclosing the incident to anyone. On reaching home, the girl's mother found her bleeding from private parts and took her to a hospital where doctors informed them that she had been sexually assaulted.
Her parents approached police yesterday, following which a case was registered under sections of the IPC and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and the accused was arrested. He was sent to judicial custody today.
Police said the accused was an electrician employed with NDMC.
Following the incident, the Delhi Commission For Women and the National Human Rights Commission issued notices to Delhi Police demanding details of the case.
The NDMC has initiated disciplinary action against the school authorities. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accused the Centre and Lt Governor Anil Baijal of not taking effective steps to curb crimes against women, when reporters quizzed him about the case. The Delhi Police report to the Union Home Ministry.
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.
The school area where the incident happened did not have CCTV cameras. The school is divided into two sections - one for senior secondary students and the other for primary students.
The pump house is in the section for primary students. Since the accused was an electrician at the school, he was aware that the area, where the alleged rape happened, was not covered by CCTV cameras.
The girl told counsellors that the accused had tried to pull her towards him on Tuesday, a day before the incident, but she pushed him and escaped his initial attempt. Her shirt was torn in the struggle but she did not disclose the matter to anyone.
She told police that she had often seen the accused with a gardener and that he was wearing a red shirt on the day of the incident.
Police questioned all gardeners and drivers at the school, including the one mentioned by the girl. They questioned the gardener about the people who used to be around him during school hours and he led police to the accused, who lives in Dwarka.
The girl's elder sister studies in the same school and the sisters used to go to the school in a private van. On the day of the incident, the accused had picked the girl around 1.30 pm and within 10 minutes raped her, police said.
Police said forensic teams visited the spot and have collected evidence. They said they will push for a fast-track trial and plan to file the chargesheet within 20 days.
The NDMC has suspended four officials in connection with the incident.
They are the accused electrician Ram Ashray, headmistress of the school 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 police and the school authority, asking them to inform it about the safety measures at the institute.
The NHRC issued notices to the Delhi government and the police seeking a detailed report on the incident.
A representative from the school said the victim's parents came to them at 10 am yesterday to inform them about the matter, and claimed that the accused was not employed with 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. Investigation is underway and the child is doing fine. We have been in regular contact with the parents of the victim," she said.
The victim's parents have been called for a counselling session on Monday to assure them of their child's safety.
Another school employee said CCTV cameras were installed on the school premises and four security guards are always posted at the main 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 other visitors.
The victim's father used to run a shop. He is currently unemployed after his shop closed down.
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.
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They said they suspect 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

Class two student raped by electrician in institute's premises

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Class two student raped by electrician in institute's premises

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