The girl used to be the last one to get down from the bus and there was no female staff in the bus.
The Panchkula police Saturday arrested the driver of a school bus for allegedly raping a four-year-old girl inside the vehicle. The incident took place Friday. The child is admitted to a hospital in Panchkula and is said to be stable.
“The accused will be presented in the court on Sunday. We will seek his remand to question him further and find out if any other person might have abetted him in the crime”, said Neha Chauhan, in-charge of Women Police Station, Panchkula.
In a complaint received late Friday, the girl’s aunt had alleged that the child was raped in the school bus on her way back. A medical examination was conducted during the night and the report is yet to come. As many as four suspects were rounded up and an FIR was registered under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Though the Panchkula Police has not made any statement regarding the confirmation of rape, sources said that rape has been confirmed by the doctors after the medical examination of the child.
She is a student at a private school in Himachal Pradesh. In the FIR, the girl’s aunt had said, “Usually she comes by 2.20pm. But on Friday, her bus arrived at 2.30 pm. She then complained of pain and told me that the driver had sexually assaulted her.”
“The victim was assaulted on the bus itself. The bus was stopped somewhere along the route and that is where the crime took place”, said Neha.
The girl used to be the last one to get down from the bus and there was no female staff in the bus.
“We have arrested one accused while others are still being questioned. Teams have been sent to nab the other suspects”, said DCP Kamaldeep Goyal.
Talking about the responsibility of school in the matter, he said, “We can definitely take action against the school. The bus had no female conductor even though the aunt had complained of the same to the school authorities. The school can be held in question to the extent of criminal liability.”
In a similar case reported less than week a ago , the family of a 20-year-old girl, who is mentally challenged, had alleged that their neighbour, who is also a close relative of the family, had tried to rape her.