Delhi police is in a state of flux after receiving a rape complain against a four-and-a-half-year-old boy.
The child in question has been accused of sexually assaulting a fellow female classmate on Friday in one of west Delhi’s private school, reported Hindustan Times.
The case
The victim’s mother in her statement to the police has stated that the girl sustained wounds on her private parts after the boy assaulted her using his finger and a pencil inside school’s washroom.
“She tried pushing him, but could not get away as other children had left and there was no staff around,” the mother stated in the FIR, reported Hindustan Times.
The incident came to light when the girl reportedly opened up to her mother about the alleged assault after complaining of pain in her lower abdomen.
Though a text message was sent to the school teacher on Friday night, the authorities instead demanded a written complain on Monday, alleged the victim’s mother who visited the school on Saturday.
The girl was later rushed to Rockland Hospital where it was confirmed that she was sexually assaulted. A complaint was then filed at the Dwarka Police Station, reported WION.
Though a case of rape under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has been registered, considering the suspect’s age, the police is unsure how to proceed further.
“The Indian Penal Code (IPC) provides children below seven years of age certain protections against prosecutions. We are examining those provisions even as we are handling the matter with utmost sensitivity,” Dependra Pathak, Delhi Police’s chief spokesperson, was quoted as saying.
Social media reacts:
Many users are aghast and are condemning the law that has brought about such a situation.
(Feature image source: PTI)