The Delhi Government on Friday urged the Delhi Police to seal the premises of “Paathshala” play school in Sagarpur in West Delhi where a three-year-old girl was raped allegedly by its owner.
Delhi Social Welfare, Women and Child Development Minister Kiran Walia convened a meeting with Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Ray, Chairman of Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights Arun Mathur, and Additional Secretary (Law) Tarun Sehrawat among others to discuss all aspects of the case and asked DCPCR to instruct the Delhi Police to seal the play school premises.
Prof. Walia also asked the police to arrest the lady owner of the school. Thereafter, DCPCR issued a notice to Additional Commissioner of Police, South West District, stating that “keeping in view the facts and circumstances of the case, and the gravity of the alleged crime, the Commission finds it expedient that premises which is being used by the accused as play school, shall be sealed so that no child may fall victim to such heinous act”.
The Commission said it was recommending closure of the premises “keeping in view the best interest of the children”. Prof. Walia also urged the police to invoke the stringent provisions of the recently enacted “The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012” to ensure stringent action against the accused in the rape case.
She said the Act notes that “whoever being on the management or staff of a educational institution or religious institution, commits penetrative sexual assault on a child in that institution,” shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than 10 years but which may extend to imprisonment for life.
