In a horrific reminder of the fact that the national Capital is unsafe for children, a four-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her school van driver, who was subsequently arrested, police said on Wednesday.
The girl has been admitted to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital and is stated to be battling for her life. The driver of the van was subsequently arrested, police said on Wednesday.
According to a senior police officer, the incident was reported on Tuesday in South-West Delhi's Baba Haridas Nagar area.
Police said that the toddler had started using the school van around a month ago and she was always the last one to be dropped home.
On Tuesday afternoon, after picking up the little girl from school, the 26-year-old driver Pawan Kumar raped the child. He later dropped her home and threatened her with dire consequences if she reported the matter to anybody, said the police officer.
The girl fell sick after returning home and her mother was scared when she saw that the girl had started bleeding from her private parts.
Though initially she refused to tell her tale, the child eventually broke down and narrated her ordeal to her mother who then took her to the Rao Tula Ram Hospital and from there, she was referred to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, said the officer. She is currently undergoing treatment at the hospital and is stated to be critical.
The hospital authorities informed the police about the victim and a case was registered after her family gave a formal complaint. The accused was arrested late on Tuesday night from Baba Haridass Nagar. He is married and has a daughter, said the officer.
Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal on Wednesday visited the girl in the hospital. She called for the formation of a high-level committee, comprising various stakeholders like the Central Government,
Delhi lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Delhi Government, DCW, etc. “4-year-old-girl raped brutally by her school van driver. Met her in hospital. Give imm death penalty 2 culprit in 2 months! Give strong msg! (sic)," Maliwal posted on Twitter.