Delhi school rape case: Female teacher held for alleged role in sexual assault

AFemale person instructor workings at a common soldier school day in west Delhi's Janakpuri was arrested in connection with the alleged rape of a three-year-old girl by a 57-year-old caretaker, police said on Thursday.The teacher was produced before a court and was remanded to one day in police custody, following which cops started interrogating her.“For the purpose of investigation, police had sought a two-day police custody remand of the female teacher. After hearing arguments, the court has granted a one-day police remand. Our teams have already started questioning the teacher,” PTI news agency cited the officer as saying.The child's mother had alleged that a teacher was also involved in the case, and claimed that her family had to wait for several hours at the police station.What was the incident?A woman lodged a complaint on May 1 at the Janakpuri Police Station, alleging that her daughter had been sexually assaulted during her school hours on April 30, which was her second day after her admission.The child had reportedly complained of pain after returning home from school, and when asked told her mother that she was taken to an isolated area inside the premises by the caretaker where she was sexually assaulted, PTI reported.After the woman's complaint, the police registered an FIR under sections 64(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.Caretaker held, later granted bailThe caretaker was held after being identified by the child on May 1, and sent to judicial custody. However, he was granted bail by a city court on May 7. The police said they would file an appeal against the bail order in the high court.The cops further denied the allegations of long wait levelled by the child's mother, saying that the investigation was being carried out in a fair manner. They added that several pieces of evidence, including the CCTV footage from the school and DVRs, had already been seized.The officers of the west district also said that the case had been professionally handled by the team of police officers in Janakpuri, adding that they had taken swift action against the primary accused.Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party's Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj held a protest outside the Raj Bhavan on Wednesday, demanding action against police officers accused of intimidating the child's family. Women councillors of the party were also part of the protest.