New Delhi: For months, a four-year-old boy walked into a kindergarten inside a prestigious foreign institute in Delhi and allegedly came back carrying a burden far heavier than books—terror. He spoke of being hit, of being shut away in a dark room alone, of punishment he could not understand. Long after his last day at school, the fear followed him—so much so, that when he saw one of his former teachers again, he wet his pants. Now, a mother’s complaint has forced the state to step in.
The New Delhi district administration has now launched an inquiry into allegations that a four-year-old boy was repeatedly assaulted and confined in a dark room at Au Grand Air Baby Doux, a kindergarten operating from within the French Institute in Delhi, after his parents accused the school’s directors and staff of prolonged physical and psychological torture and approached child rights authorities over police inaction.
But the investigation has come only after several weeks of the boy’s mother filing a police complaint, and that too after the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) stepped in, and directed the district administration Tuesday to submit an action-taken report within three days.
After the NCPCR’s direction, the New Delhi district administration Friday constituted a four-member committee to “ascertain the veracity of allegations” by the complainant. The committee comprising the tehsildar, deputy director of the district’s education department, an official of the women and child development department, and the station house officer of Tughlaq road (where the complaint was first lodged) has been asked to file a report.
Those named in the police complaint filed by the mother include the kindergarten’s directors Aditya Surpal, his wife Sanjeevani Surpal, Manju Surpal and Anil Kumar Surpal, a teacher and manager, Suhani Gulati and Ritu Bhasin, respectively.
Sources in the district administration told ThePrint that the inquiry will also determine the jurisdiction of the state machinery over kindergartens and educational institutions on premises run by a foreign country. Au Grand Air Baby Doux was functioning from the premises of the Lycée Français International de Delhi, a French government school, run by the French embassy.
But while the scope of the jurisdiction of Indian authorities over the premises in such a case may not be clear yet, those in the management facing the allegations are Indian nationals.
‘Nightmare for my son’
“I am deeply hurt and depressed that my son has been going through severe psychological trauma and lasting fear due to being hit and locked in a dark room multiple times… for what reason I really don’t know, and for this I have filed formal complaint,” the mother told ThePrint.
In the police complaint, the boy’s mother said: “The directors, management, teachers and staff of Baby Doux have subjected my minor son to repeated physical and mental cruelty, assault, willful neglect, wrongful confinement in a dark room, intimidation and deception, resulting in severe psychological trauma and lasting fear. My son has become emotionally fearful, and the whole incident has acted as a nightmare for my four-year-old son.”
“This, therefore, may kindly be taken as a wake-up call and strict action must be taken against the culprits, otherwise any kind of mishap could occur, which may tarnish the image not only of our country but may also hamper relations between our government and the French government,” she added in the complaint.
The mother also lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police Commissioner, Satish Golchha, who referred it to the Special Commissioner of Police, who, in turn, referred it to the Joint Commissioner of Police last week.
“The complaint discloses grave cognisable offences, including cruelty and assault on a child, causing hurt, willful neglect, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation, cheating and misrepresentation regarding affiliation with the Government of France/French embassy, criminal conspiracy, and illegal use of prohibited foreign state emblem,” Additional Commissioner of Police, Deotosh K. S. Singh wrote to the New Delhi DCP last week.
ThePrint reached out to Special Commissioner of Police, Madhup Tiwari, Joint Commissioner of Police Deepak Purohit and New Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police Devesh Kumar Mahla to confirm if there were any developments in the case. The report will be updated to incorporate their response.
‘Confinement in dark room’
In her complaint to the Delhi Police, the boy’s mother, who is an Overseas Citizen of India, narrated that her son reported to her at least four incidents of him being locked inside a dark room for long hours at the Baby Doux kindergarten.
“We were looking for a suitable kindergarten for our only child in 2022. The kindergarten’s management persuaded us to visit the campus and made a range of promises, including immediate access to CCTV footage upon request, to ensure proper care of the child. Nothing of that sort was done and instead my child has been traumatised for life,” the father told ThePrint.
Moreover, the parents stated that the school’s management, specifically manager Bhasin, claimed that the school was affiliated with the French government and the embassy in New Delhi.
The mother also alleged that Bhasin claimed the school operated under guidelines of the French national education and that children studying there were automatically admitted to the main French School, Lycée Français International de Delhi, after completing a 2-quarter pre-school curriculum with them.
She further stated in the complaint that they were asked to visit the institute’s website, which displayed the emblems of ‘The Republic of France’ and ‘AEFE’. AEFE or the Agency for French Education Abroad supervises a network of more than 500 schools in more than 100 countries run by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. However, she says, those emblems and logos have now been removed from the website.
‘Embassy merely owns the property’
When contacted by ThePrint, diplomatic sources responded saying the Baby Doux daycare centre was indeed located on land belonging to the French embassy, but it was a temporary occupancy lease. Moreover, the French embassy or institute had no supervisory relationship with the daycare centre. “The embassy is only the property owner,” they said.
When asked about the allegations of abuse on its premises, the sources said they had been informed by the district authorities, and had requested the kindergarten’s owner for an explanation.
The mother has submitted in her complaint that the first instance of the alleged torture and harassment came to her notice on 28 November 2023 when her son returned from the kindergarten with “visible swelling in his right eye”.
‘They said he was making up stories’
“He told us that someone in kindergarten had hit him and locked him in a dark room, causing him pain and fear,” she submitted in the police complaint. She further alleged that Bhasin dismissed the charge, stating there was a minor fight among the kindergarten children and that her son “was making up stories”.
“I immediately visited the kindergarten and requested for the CCTV footage, as assured at the time of admission, to verify her version. This request was refused without assigning any reason. Therefore, we demanded to meet the directors of the kindergarten,” she said.
A few days later, Bhasin introduced them to Aditya and Sanjeevni Surpal, directors of Baby Doux.
“They, along with Ritu Bhasin, assured us that our son was safe, properly cared for and not subjected to neglect or abuse, and that he was fabricating stories. Trusting their repeated assurances regarding safety and professionalism, we continued with our son’s education there,” she added.
But the alleged torture did not stop, and similar acts of locking the boy in the dark room recurred on at least three more occasions—23 July 2024, 27 February 2025 and 6 June 2025—before his term at the kindergarten came to an end in September 2025.
‘Scarred for life’
The mother has alleged that the trauma and torture meted out to her son has scarred him for life, and when the child came face-to-face with Suhani Gulati, his teacher, at a party in November 2025, he requested her not to lock him up in a dark room and wet his pants.
“When I confronted Suhani Gulati, she informed me that she had left Baby Doux herself, due to the abusive behaviour of directors Aditya Surpal and Sanjeevni Surpal, and that my son had indeed been confined in a dark room on multiple occasions, throughout his tenure in Baby Doux during her employment, including once for over half an hour, on the instructions of directors Aditya Surpal and Sanjeevni Surpal, particularly during inspection days by French authorities,” the mother of the young boy alleged.
“Upon asking, she stated that she did not have knowledge as to which French authority inspected the premises of Baby Doux and why, but she hinted that as a few children, including my son, were above 3 years old, and children aged over 3 were not allowed on the premises of Baby Doux (they were hidden),” she further claimed.
“The teacher further stated that staff were instructed to conceal my son’s presence during inspections because he was above the permitted age and that she had earlier denied these facts due to fear of losing her job,” the mother alleged.
ThePrint reached out to the kindergarten management through email Friday. This report will be updated incorporating their response, if and when received.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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