3-year-old girl sexually assaulted by minor boy, her parents say

GREATER NOIDA: A three-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by a boy believed to be just six years old in Greater Noida’s Dankaur area. The girl’s parents said she was playing outside the house on Sunday evening when the boy allegedly took her to a deserted location, molested her and inserted an object in her private parts.

Police said they have not registered an FIR as criminal proceedings cannot be initiated against children below the age of seven. In a similar instance of sexual assault in Delhi last November, Delhi Police did file an FIR but drew criticism for it.

The alleged sexual assault on the Dankaur girl happened around 4pm on Sunday. The boy apparently ran away after the girl started crying. Her family members said they had visited the boy’s house and confronted his parents. “However, the boy’s family argued with us and threatened us with dire consequences. Later, they also parked their tractor outside our house to block our way. I then decided to file a police complaint,” the girl’s father told TOI. He alleged the boy had sexually abused his niece on a previous occasion. “We had complained to his family members then as well but they did not discipline him,” he said.

Parents of the boy, on the other hand, claimed the three-year-old girl had received “minor injuries” while playing and the boy had no role it, police said. Farmood Ali Pundir, SHO of Dankaur police station, said though they received a complaint, no FIR was lodged “as children below seven years can’t be booked under any section of IPC as per law”. “The two families live in the neighbourhood and they are known to each other. Primary investigation showed the boy is six years old”.

Aneet Baghel, advocate and member of the Juvenile Justice Board, said a child below seven is considered ‘doli incapax’ (incapable of distinguishing between right and wrong) under law. “Hence, the law grants absolute impunity to such children. The law also exempts children between seven and 12 years from criminal liability,” he said

A senior Noida police officer said directions had been issued to investigators to establish the boy’s correct age “and take necessary action”. The girl’s family has contested claims that the boy is six, claiming he would be around 10 years old.