Two-year-old boy ‘sexually assaulted’ at Kolkata playschool, case registered

Kolkata police on Wednesday registered a case against “unidentified persons” under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a two-year-old boy at a playschool in the city suburbs.

Advocate Anirban Guha Thakurta, who represents the victim’s parents, said the incident occurred during Doctor’s Day celebrations at the playschool on July 1. “The boy’s mother thought the boy looked disturbed when she came to pick him up. Later, when she noticed that he was bleeding, she took him to a paediatrician who suggested the likelihood of sexual abuse,” he added.

The parents then lodged a complaint with the Thakurpukur police, who took the child for a medical examination at the state-run SSKM Hospital and launched an investigation into the matter. “The process of identifying suspects has already started,” the advocate said.

Thakurta said the victim’s parents had asked playschool authorities to furnish CCTV footage of the role-play programme held at the school on the occasion of Doctor’s Day. “However, school officials said there was no CCTV footage from June 27 to July 3. This has created further doubts,” he added.

“Nothing of this sort has happened. However, we are ready to cooperate with the police on the investigation,” said a school spokesperson.

Although there have been a few incidents of sexual abuse at Kolkata schools over the last few months, none of them involved a child of such a tender age.