Noida: A 26-year-old school bus driver was arrested on Friday for allegedly stalking and sexually harassing a 15-year-old deaf and mute girl in Greater Noida’s Knowledge Park.Police said the sexual harassment started four months ago when students from the school had travelled to Meerut to participate in a sports competition, but surfaced only after the girl informed school authorities on July 28, who then alerted her parents and sacked the driver, Luv Kush.Police said the girl, a student of Class 7, was part of the school’s shooting squad and had travelled to Meerut on April 13 along with other students and a sports teacher to participate in the national sports championship.During the trip, the accused made objectionable gestures at the student, sometimes through the mirror as well. Whenever he found the girl in school or outside, he would make objectionable gestures at her, but she did not tell anyone out of fear.“On July 28, she came for practice with a friend and informed the school staff about the accused. She shared that the driver was stalking her and even called her several times. The girl shared that during the Meerut trip, the accused had forcibly given her a note with his phone number on it, but she tore the paper immediately,” the school spokesperson said. She claimed the school administration had run a background check and completed all necessary formalities before hiring the driver one-and-a-half years back.The girl’s mother told TOI that the accused had inappropriately touched the girl once and would often make inappropriate gestures. “Whenever she tried to raise an alarm, the man would threaten her. My daughter was extremely scared,” she said.Two months ago, she said, her daughter’s friends saw the bus driver making lewd gestures and confronted him. “He apologised at the time, and her friends let him go,” the mother said.Additional DCP (Greater Noida) Santosh Kumar said based on a complaint submitted by the girl’s parents, an FIR was registered against Luv Kush under BNS sections 74 (molestation) and 351 (2) (criminal intimidation), besides Pocso Act section 9 (aggravated sexual assault) and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.“The driver has been arrested. A notice has also been served on the school’s administration and bus operator,” the additional DCP said. Police said they were also investigating how the driver got the girl’s contact number.
