Mumbai: 13-year-old reveals sex abuse horror at 'Police Didi' session
V Narayan | TNN | Nov 25, 2018, 03:19 IST
Illustration for representational purposeMUMBAI: A D N Nagar police team was taken aback when a 13-year-old student of a civic-run Andheri school broke down and told them of sexual abuse she had been facing for the past year at the hands of a "neighbour uncle" right after a Police Didi session held on November 15.
The hour-long session is dedicated to creating awareness among minor students about "good touch and bad touch". The Class VIII girl returned after other students had left the room. Taking cognizance of her complaint, the Police Didi team got in touch with Versova police and got the accused, identified as Babu Das (35), arrested on November 20 after an FIR was filed.
The D N Nagar Police Didi team, comprising senior inspector Parmeshwar Ganme, constables Rama Harwalkar, Supriya Bhosale and Sunil Zende, conducts sessions at Andheri (West) schools.
"At least 80 students attended the hour-long session. No other student complained of any abuse. The session was attended by both students and teachers who received advice on what should be done on learning of such incidents too," a D N Nagar police officer told TOI.
The girl was quiet throughout the session. "The child said she felt scared to return home after school as her neighbour would take her to his place or visit hers in the afternoon and sexually abuse her. The child said she is home alone during the day as her father had died a few years ago and her mother works as a domestic help while her younger brother goes to school in the afternoon," said a police officer.
When police inquired with the girl's teachers, they mentioned that even they had noticed that the child looked scared and would keep to herself during school hours. "The teachers said they made her sit in the front row thinking that she was unable to understand what was being taught," said a police officer.
After hearing out the child, the team called the day duty officer, inspector Sachin Kamble, to the school and on his instructions, registered a case at Versova police station. Das has been booked under Indian Penal Code sections 354 for outraging modesty, 509 for a word, a gesture or an act intended to insult the modesty of a woman, and under Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act sections 8 for sexual assault and 12 for sexual harassment. He is in police custody.
Mumbai police launched the Police Didi campaign in 2016. It is aimed at reducing cases of sexual harassment by having female police officers establish a rapport with the community.
The hour-long session is dedicated to creating awareness among minor students about "good touch and bad touch". The Class VIII girl returned after other students had left the room. Taking cognizance of her complaint, the Police Didi team got in touch with Versova police and got the accused, identified as Babu Das (35), arrested on November 20 after an FIR was filed.
The D N Nagar Police Didi team, comprising senior inspector Parmeshwar Ganme, constables Rama Harwalkar, Supriya Bhosale and Sunil Zende, conducts sessions at Andheri (West) schools.
"At least 80 students attended the hour-long session. No other student complained of any abuse. The session was attended by both students and teachers who received advice on what should be done on learning of such incidents too," a D N Nagar police officer told TOI.
The girl was quiet throughout the session. "The child said she felt scared to return home after school as her neighbour would take her to his place or visit hers in the afternoon and sexually abuse her. The child said she is home alone during the day as her father had died a few years ago and her mother works as a domestic help while her younger brother goes to school in the afternoon," said a police officer.
When police inquired with the girl's teachers, they mentioned that even they had noticed that the child looked scared and would keep to herself during school hours. "The teachers said they made her sit in the front row thinking that she was unable to understand what was being taught," said a police officer.
After hearing out the child, the team called the day duty officer, inspector Sachin Kamble, to the school and on his instructions, registered a case at Versova police station. Das has been booked under Indian Penal Code sections 354 for outraging modesty, 509 for a word, a gesture or an act intended to insult the modesty of a woman, and under Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act sections 8 for sexual assault and 12 for sexual harassment. He is in police custody.
Mumbai police launched the Police Didi campaign in 2016. It is aimed at reducing cases of sexual harassment by having female police officers establish a rapport with the community.
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