NEW DELHI: A three-and-a-half-year-old boy was allegedly physically and sexually assaulted and mentally harassed at a private playschool in northeast Delhi’s Maujpur, with CCTV footage purportedly showing him being tied to a chair, kicked and held by his ears.Police have registered a case invoking sections of Pocso Act and others under BNS against the school director, principal, teacher and a caretaker, with the latter arrested.The Directorate of Education (DoE) has also ordered an inquiry.
playschool assault case
According to the FIR, the child’s father approached police after noticing a change in his behaviour.The complaint states that the boy had been unable to sleep properly for several days, was terrified of going to the toilet and would “cry inconsolably” at the prospect of going to school.His ears were being pulled and he was being hit, says father of kid ‘assaulted’ at playschoolThe father told police that he took the child to an ENT specialist on Aug 18 after noticing his distress. The doctor, according to the complaint, noted swelling in the child’s eardrums and suspected that he may have been physically abused.The family approached the school management and sought CCTV footage. The FIR alleges that the management initially claimed that the CCTV system was not functioning and later demanded Rs 1,500 for access to the footage.After obtaining the recordings, the father found footage of his son being assaulted inside the classroom. “His ears were being pulled and he was being hit,” the complaint states. It further alleges that the child was tied to a chair for hours and kicked off the chair, causing him to fall. The footage also allegedly showed his food being taken away before he could eat.The complaint also contains an allegation of inappropriate touching involving the child, which is being investigated under the Pocso Act.According to the FIR, a school official allegedly told him that “children get beaten like this every day” and asked him to do whatever he wanted. The child was taken to a hospital. The medico-legal case noted swelling on his left thigh and an abrasion near his left eye.Police are examining the CCTV footage and DVR as part of the investigation.The arrested attendant has been taken into custody. The case was registered at Jafrabad police station under sections 115 (voluntarily causing hurt), 126 (wrongful restraint) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Sections 75 and 82 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and Section 12 of the Pocso Act.A DoE official said, “A committee comprising the additional director of education/regional director of education (east) as chairman is being constituted by the DoE to inquire into the child abuse incident, strictly in accordance with the guidelines issued from time to time under the Pocso Act. An FIR has been registered on the complaint of the parents at Jafrabad police station. The inquiry report will be submitted within two days.“The school’s owner, said, “An investigation is under way, and all relevant matters have been handed over to police. The caretaker and the teacher have been permanently removed from the school. We are fully cooperating with the police in the investigation.” The school principal could not be reached for comment.
