New Delhi: The father of a 3-year-old girl, who was allegedly raped at a private school in Delhi’s Janakpuri area, has alleged that the police were not helpful, which delayed the medico-legal examination.
The accused, Lalit Kumar, was arrested 1 May and remanded in judicial custody. However, on 7 May, he was granted bail with certain conditions and asked to furnish surety bonds of Rs 20,000.
The police will file an appeal seeking a stay of the bail in the Delhi High Court, with Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Darade Sharad Bhaskar confirming it to ThePrint on Sunday.
“The prosecution had strongly opposed the bail application before the court. However, the court granted the bail to the accused,” the DCP said. “The detailed bail order is being examined and further legal action is underway.”
Earlier, the DCP had said that a case was registered under Section 64(1) (rape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO Act) on 1 May at the Janakpur police station.
It was based on the complaint by the girl’s mother, who alleged that her daughter was sexually assaulted during school hours by a male school staff member.
The accused—a clerk in the school—has been working for over 30 years at the school. “Statement was recorded before the court, and relevant CCTV/DVR footage along with other exhibits were seized as per law,” the DCP said.
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‘Police inaction’
The child’s father, who works as a property dealer, told ThePrint that the tragedy struck on the child’s second day at school.
“My daughter first went to school on 28 April. Then she fell ill next. She rejoined 30 April, came back home and slept. She did not tell us anything. When she woke up, she narrated what had happened. She told us who touched her at school and that she was in pain. She was also lured into the school’s basement with a toffee,” the father said, as he broke down.
The school administration was approached but it was of no help, he alleged. “The principal did not hear us out. She did not question the caretaker…”
When they reached out to the police, the father alleged that the police took a lot of time over confusion of which district the case pertains to. “We kept running around, there was confusion over the police station jurisdiction…the police did not help us out.”
Once the family reached the Jankapuri police station, the child was asked to verify the accused’s identity. The arrest, he said, came after his daughter identified the perpetrator.
“We had to do so much running around, ensuring our case is heard and not dismissed by police,” the father said, adding that the child and family were made to wait for several hours at the police station during the inquiry.
DCP Bhashkar, however, asserted that the investigation was conducted in “a fair, professional, and impartial manner on the basis of scientific evidence, forensic examination, witness statements and merits of the case.”
On the allegations of police harassment and intimidation, the DCP said they were false, baseless, and contrary to the actual facts of investigation.
“The complainant and the child were provided a comfortable, child-friendly environment during the inquiry proceedings and were called only for lawful inquiry and counselling purposes, considering the sensitivity of the matter,” he added.
Court observation
In the 7 May order, Additional Sessions Judge Rohit Gulia of Dwarka Court said, “it has been shown that the accused had left the junior wing of the school at around 08:37 am and had not returned back thereafter and moreover, the accused had joined the investigation when he was called by the police authorities.”
There is nothing on record suggesting that the accused tried to flee or interfere in the investigation, the order said.
The Investigating Officer admitted that the alleged crime scene had been investigated by the crime team and relevant articles have been seized including the DVRs of the CCTV cameras, it said. “Moreover, the teachers of the junior wing have been examined.”
“In view of the above-mentioned facts and circumstances, it is clear that there is no requirement of keeping the accused behind bars for long and, therefore, without commenting upon the merits or demerits of the case, the accused Lalit Kumar is admitted to bail,” the judge said in the order.
The father was present in the court when the bail was granted.
“After the court granted the bail, I felt hopeless, I felt we lost the very fight we were fighting for our child. The man who did this to our daughter is out. We came to court looking for ‘insaaf (justice)’, but look where we are now. The government says ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (Save and educate the daughter)’ but who will save our daughters?”
“I don’t think I have the courage to send my daughter to school now. A school was meant to be the safest place for a child, but it has left us traumatised forever,” the father said.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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