Delhi school where 5-year-old was raped shut for three days, DCW starts probe

The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) took suo-motu cognizance of media reports and issued a notice to an east Delhi school where a five-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a peon.

The girl was hospitalised after her parents found her bleeding. A medical examination confirmed that she had been raped. The accused, a peon at the school, was later arrested on Saturday.

“It has been reported that the accused has assaulted other kids in the past, as well. Therefore...the Commission has instituted an enquiry into the matter,” the notice read.

The DCW has demanded background details of the accused, such as his year of appointment, role assigned, and whether his credentials were verified by the police at the time of appointment, among other things.

“We have given three days’ time to the school for replying to all our queries. After this, we will decide on further action to be taken,” said a DCW representative.

The commission has also directed the school’s management to counsel all students and interrogate about the occurrence, if at all, of similar offences with others in the past. The name of the school in Gandhi Nagar is being withheld to protect the identity of the victim.

The Delhi government has also ordered a magisterial inquiry, headed by the Vivek Vihar sub-divisional magistrate, into the assault and asked the panel to submit a report within three days .

Meanwhile, the school will remain closed till September 13 for security reasons, the principal said.

“We have not faced any agitation from the parents, so far. Some parents enquired about the incident and were provided with all the details. We are also supporting the police in their investigation,” he said.

The incident comes close on the heels of the murder of an eight-year-old boy by a member of the support staff at Ryan International School, Gurgaon.