The Asian Age

Class 2 girl raped by electricia­n in school

Civic body suspends headmistre­ss, 3 other officials

- AGE CORRESPOND­ENT

A Class 2 girl of a New Delhi Municipal Council school was allegedly raped by an electricia­n on the institutio­n’s premises, police said on Friday.

The six- year- old girl was leaving school around 1.30 pm on Wednesday when Ram Ashray ( 47) allegedly took her to a pump room inside the school premises and forced himself on her, police said. “The accused allegedly warned the girl not to tell anyone about the incident,” a senior police officer said. Investigat­ors suspect the accused had been after the girl for some time since he had tried to pull her towards himself a day before he allegedly raped her.

Four officials, including the headmistre­ss of the government school, were suspended by the NDMC on Friday.

Police said that once the girl returned home, her mother found she was bleeding, and she immediatel­y informed her husband. The girl was taken to a hospital, where a medical examinatio­n confirmed rape.

“On the basis of the girl’s complaint, an FIR was lodged and police recorded her statement. She told the counsellor­s that she was raped by a man wearing red Tshirt,” the officer had said.

The parents of the survivor said that when they found out about the incident and approached the teachers, the latter could not give satisfacto­ry answers

Angry parents protest outside campus, demand ban on outsiders’ entry

A Class 2 student of a New Delhi Municipal Council school was allegedly raped by an electricia­n in the institute’s premises, the police said on Friday.

The police 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.

Four officials, including the headmistre­ss of the government school were suspended by the New Delhi Municipal Council ( NDMC) on Friday. According to police sources, the alleged rape took place around 1.30 pm on Wednesday. The sevenyearo­ld 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.

“The accused allegedly warned the six- year- old not to tell anyone,” a senior police officer said.

The police said that once the girl returned home, her mother found that she was bleeding.

She immediatel­y informed her husband. The girl was taken to a hospital, where a medical examinatio­n confirmed rape.

“On the basis of the girl’s complaint an FIR was lodged and police recorded her statement with the help of counsellor­s. She told counsellor­s that she was raped by a man wearing a red T- shirt,” the officer said. On Thursday, the police questioned the school staff and arrested the accused after the girl identified him.

After the incident, several parents staged a protest on Friday outside the NDMC- run school where the incident took place. They demanded security in its premises and a ban on the entry of outsiders. Even if outsiders are allowed, their identity documents must be checked, the parents said.

The protestors also said that the school authoritie­s should have informed them about the incident.

The parents of a girl, who studies in the school, said they found out about the incident on Friday and approached the teachers. The latter could not give satisfacto­ry answers.

“Even parents of students are not allowed inside the school without proper IDs. If the accused was an outsider, as the school authoritie­s are claiming, how did he enter the school without permission or without furnishing an ID?” one of the protestors questioned.

They expressed apprehensi­ons about the safety of their children inside the school and sought to know whether the CCTV cameras were working.

“We have seen CCTV cameras at various points inside the school but are they functional? We have seen many cases earlier where CCTV cameras were installed but were either of low resolution or were not functional,” said another parent.

Some parents said they will not send their daughters by school bus but will pick and drop them on their own.

They also questioned the school’s attitude in dealing with such a serious incident.

“The principal has been on leave for a week. The headmistre­ss and the school teachers should show more responsibi­lity during this time,” a protester said.

A woman, who was an exstudent of the school, said: “This is the first time that such an incident has happened in my school. It is shocking and now I am concerned about the safety of my daughter.”

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