A three-and-a-half-year-old boy was allegedly subjected to physical and sexual abuse and mental harassment at a private playschool in Maujpur, northeast Delhi. CCTV footage purportedly shows the child being tied to a chair, kicked and pulled by his ears.
Police have registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and other provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the school’s director, principal, teacher and caretaker. The caretaker has been arrested. The Directorate of Education (DoE) has also ordered an inquiry into the incident.
According to the FIR, the child’s father contacted police after noticing a significant change in his son’s behaviour. The complaint states that the boy had been sleeping poorly for several days, was frightened of using the toilet and would “cry inconsolably” whenever he was told he had to go to school.
The father said he took the child to an ENT specialist on August 18 after becoming concerned about his distress. According to the complaint, the doctor observed swelling in the child’s eardrums and suspected that he may have been physically assaulted.
The family subsequently approached the school management and requested access to CCTV recordings. The FIR alleges that school authorities initially claimed the surveillance system was not working and later sought Rs 1,500 to provide access to the footage.
After obtaining the recordings, the father allegedly found footage showing his son being assaulted inside the classroom. The complaint states that the child’s ears were pulled and that he was hit. It further alleges that he was tied to a chair for several hours and kicked off it, causing him to fall.
The footage allegedly also showed the child’s food being taken away before he could finish eating. The complaint contains a separate allegation of inappropriate touching involving the child, which is being investigated under the Pocso Act.
The FIR further alleges that a school official told the father that “children get beaten like this every day” and challenged him to take whatever action he wanted.
The child was subsequently taken to hospital, where a medico-legal examination noted swelling on his left thigh and an abrasion near his left eye. Police are examining the CCTV footage and digital video recorder as part of the investigation.
The arrested caretaker has been taken into custody. The case was registered at Jafrabad police station under Sections 115 (voluntarily causing hurt), 126 (wrongful restraint) and 3(5) (common intention) of the BNS. Police also invoked Sections 75 and 82 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and Section 12 of the Pocso Act.
A DoE official said a committee headed by the additional director of education/regional director of education (east) would investigate the allegations in accordance with guidelines issued under the Pocso Act. The official said an FIR had already been registered at Jafrabad police station following the parents’ complaint and that the inquiry report would be submitted within two days.
The school’s owner said an investigation was underway and that all relevant information had been handed over to police. The owner added that the caretaker and teacher had been permanently removed from the school and that the management was cooperating fully with investigators.
The school principal could not be reached for comment.
