Delhi school rape: AAP government for transfer of case to crime branch

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. (Source: PTI)

The Delhi government will write to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, seeking transfer of the case of sexual assault of a five-year-old schoolgirl in Delhi from local police to the crime branch for a “fair probe”, an official said on Wednesday. The move comes after Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain received complaints through Gandhi Nagar MLA Anil Bajpai about alleged “inaction” by the authorities concerned.

“The home minister will write to the Lt. Governor demanding transfer of the rape case from local police to the Crime Branch of Delhi Police for fair investigation,” a senior government official said.

The girl was allegedly raped by a peon inside the premises of a private school in Shahdara at New Delhi. The accused has been arrested.

The government recently ordered a magisterial probe into the alleged sexual assault of the five-year-old girl. The Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Sarita Vihar) is expected to submit his report in next one or two days.

Following the incident, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had on September 11 ordered schools to install CCTV cameras covering their entire premises and complete police investigation of their non-teaching staff within three weeks.

The directive came amid increased concerns over the safety on school premises after the killing of a seven-year-old student in Gurugram’s Ryan International School.

“All schools, whether government-run or private, will have to mandatorily install CCTV cameras in classrooms, washroom area and playgrounds as well.

“Schools have been asked to conduct police verification of all their non-teaching staff be it sanitation workers, security staff or drivers, within three weeks,” Sisodia had said.