Class 5 student of MCD-run school gang-raped by 4, 54-yr-old peon held

New Delhi: A class 5 student was allegedly gang-raped by a 54-year-old peon working in her MCD-run school and his three accomplices after sedating her, police said on Thursday.

The peon, identified as Ajay, has been arrested, they said, adding efforts are being made to nab his associates.

Police said Ajay, a native of Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh who lived in Ghaziabad, was working as a peon at the Municipal Corporation of Delhi-run school for the last 10 years.

The Delhi Commission For Women (DCW) has issued a notice to the city police and the MCD in connection with the incident.

According to police, the incident took place on March 14. Since the incident, the girl had stopped going to school and also skipped her final exams.

The MCD said in a statement that show cause notices to the principal of the school and the class teacher have been issued for not taking a prompt action i.e. not informing the higher authorities immediately.

The incident came to light when the student's teacher contacted her brother and enquired about her absence from the final exams. Her brother informed the teacher about the incident, police said.

As per the complaint, the accused took the girl to an unknown place from the school, sedated her with some unknown substance and committed gangrape with his associates, police said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Amrutha Guguloth said the principal of the Ghazipur school along with her fellow teachers reported the incident to police on Wednesday.

The victim was sent to Lal Bahadur Shastri hospital where a medical examination was conducted and she was counselled, police said.

In the statement issued on Thursday, the MCD said an incident of sexual assault with a female student of Class V of Shahadara Zone took place on March 14.

"On the next day of annual examination, the student was absent. The class teacher communicated the same to her mother to know the reason of her absence. Initially, her mother said that she is suffering from stomach ache with loose motion but later she informed the class teacher about the sexual assault with her by the school attendant," the MCD said.

The principal of the school tried to convince the girl's parents to come to the school to file a complaint against the accused, but they were reluctant to lodge any complaint with the school as well as police, it said.

"Thereafter, the principal apprised the zonal authorities about the incident. Keeping in view the gravity of the incident, a committee of two school inspectors, including a female inspector, inquired into the matter and submitted its report. On the basis of findings of the committee, Ajay Kumar, the school attendant, has been placed under suspension with immediate effect," the MCD said. A case was registered under sections 363 (kidnapping), 328 (causing hurt by means of poison, etc., with intent to commit an offence), 376D (gangrape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant section of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act at Gazipur police station, police said.

Meanwhile, DCW has issued a notice to the Delhi Police in the matter.

"A Class 5 girl student of MCD school gang-raped by four people. The man who was involved in the incident was a peon of the school. This is a very serious matter. I am issuing notice to Delhi Police and MCD. Strictest action should be taken. If the girl child is not safe even in school then where is she?" DCW chief Swati Maliwal said in a tweet in Hindi.