A seven-year-old girl was allegedly raped on the premises of her municipal corporation school, triggering a violent protest which left some buses smashed and a dozen people injured here on Friday.
The class 2 student at North Delhi Municipal Corporation-run Nigam Pratibha Vidyalaya in outer Delhi’s Mangolpuri was raped during her lunch break on Thursday, police said.
The victim underwent treatment at Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital and is said to be traumatised. Police said she was shown five persons, including a teacher, watchman and two peons, but she was unable to identify the culprit.
The assault became known only Friday morning when the victim’s parents reported the matter at the local police station. Her parents told police that she was crying when she returned home on Thursday evening. Her mother questioned the girl, but she did not reveal anything. Family members, however, grew suspicious when they saw blood on her clothes. At night when her father inquired about her health, she narrated her ordeal to him.
Family members took her to the school on Friday morning and confronted the authorities. They decided to approach police when school denied the incident. She was immediately taken to hospital where a medical examination confirmed sexual assault.
“It is alleged that a person came into the victim’s classroom during the school’s lunch hour around 10:30 am and took her away. He allegedly tied her hands and stuffed her mouth with cloth after taking her to the first floor of the school,” a police officer said.
After allegedly raping her, he threatened to harm the girl if she reported the incident to anyone.
About 500 local people gathered outside the hospital on Friday to protest against the incident. About 300 policemen were also deployed in the area, and they lathi-charged the crowd when it turned violent.
Several vehicles, including three Delhi Transport Corporation buses and two police control room vehicles, were damaged by the protesters.
Hospital staff claim that some locals also entered the premises and vandalised the Intensive Care Unit due to which the hospital had to shut down from 1 to 3 pm.
In the evening, the protesters gathered outside Mangolpuri Police Station.
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit expressed deep shock and anguish over the “inhuman and shameful” incident. She asked the North Delhi corporation to strengthen security in its schools.
“The corporations must strengthen their existing security infrastructure. Prima facie it appears that lack of security and supervision by the north corporation might be the cause of the incident,” Dikshit said.
Education Minister Kiran Walia has also taken up the matter with the corporation mayor.
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