Mumbai Police to revoke rape charges

A day after the Mumbai Police slapped rape charges on a 35-year-old school bus cleaner after a four-year old nursery student complained of molestation, they have decided to revoke Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code.

Senior police officials said here on Saturday that medical examination of the victim established that there was no rape.

“The bus conductor, 35-year-old Ramesh Rajput, allegedly molested the girl in suburban Juhu on Tuesday afternoon when children were being dropped back home. There was no rape or attempt to rape. We are rectifying our mistake,” a senior police official said here on Saturday.

On Friday, the police had booked the accused under various sections of IPC, including Section 376 and sections of the newly formulated Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

The case shocked the city as the child was molested onboard a school bus which was entrusted with the responsibility of dropping her home safely.

CCTV cameras

The school said, in a statement, that the child was touched inappropriately. On Saturday, the management said it was contemplating putting up CCTV cameras inside its buses.

“Since there was clearly a span of 8 minutes when the child was in the bus, and only the cleaner, attendant and the child know what happened in that time, the police have to investigate and reach a conclusion,” the statement said further.

The school said that the private bus service provider had been associated with the school for the past 20 years. The management was equally shocked by the incident which had happened for the first time.