The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
2 other girls molested earlier, claim parents
A DAY after it came to light that a seven-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by two girls from her school, both her seniors, about 50 people gathered outside the government school in the afternoon demanding action against the principal, with allegations emerging that two other girls had gone through a similar ordeal in the past.
A 20-year-old schoolgirl has been arrested, while another minor girl has been accused of sexually assaulting the seven-yearold inside school.
On Monday, two sets of parents alleged that a year ago, their daughters were asked to undress on school premises and sexually assaulted by a group of girls. They alleged that the minor accused in the latest crime was also involved in the previous sexual assaults. But no police complaint was lodged at the time.
The mother of one of the students alleged that they brought it to the notice of the principal in May last year, but did not lodge a police complaint. “They undressed my child and sexually assaulted her when she was six years old. We confronted teachers and the principal, and the parents of the accused girls were called in. After some deliberation, the principal assured us it won’t happenagain.sowedidnotlodge a police complaint,” she said.
But she added that in the wake of the recent incident, they are willing to meet police. “If my girl is not safe in a girls-only school, she isn’t safe anywhere,” she said. The seven-year-old victim of the latest crime has told police that the two accused would “prick her with a needle” or give her something to drink, which would make her drowsy.
When the school principal was contacted, her husband picked up and said, “My wife is mentally tortured and she is not in a position to speak.”
The BJP councillor of the ward, Bharat Bhushan Madan, alleged that five more victims from the school have come forward to him, and he has given their names to Moti Nagar police station. “There is complete mismanagement from the school’s side and a few girls have been doing this for some time. A few parents approached us on Saturday,” claimed Madan.
But police said they have no such information. DCP (west) Vijay Kumar said, “We have not received any more complaints... We are also looking into the principal’s role in the case.”
Meanwhile, the uncle of the seven-year-old said her parents are visually challenged and she stays with him. He said she had been bringing home her lunchbox untouched for the last two months, ostensibly because she faced the ordeal during lunch break. He also alleged that the accused blindfolded her, beat her with a belt and made videos of the act.
Atishi Marlena, advisor to the Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, said the role of the principal is being investigated by police. “We have trained a lot of principals on the POCSO Act and it is unfortunate that this happened,” she said.