A four-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a 34-year-old brother of her teacher at a tuition centre in east Delhi’s Pandav Nagar area, sparking a protest in the area with people vandalising some vehicles, police said Sunday.
They said an FIR has been registered the accused arrested. They also said inflammatory messages about the case are being circulated through WhatsApp to spoil the atmosphere, and urged people to maintain peace.
They said the alleged incident happened on Saturday and the victim has been referred to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-Delhi from Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital.
Police said the protesters gathered near the house of the accused and vandalised some vehicles over rumours that no action was being taken. They said a large number of police personnel and paramilitary forces have been deployed in the area to maintain law and order.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (east) Apoorva Gupta rushed to the spot.
“Last night (Saturday), a case of rape involving a four-year-old girl surfaced in the Mandawali police station. The police registered a case under appropriate sections and arrested the suspect on the same day,” she said in a statement.
There are many false messages and rumours circulating on social media about this case, she said.
“The girl is absolutely fine. She was sent to AIIMS because the One Stop Centre for children there provides better facilities compared to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital,” said the DCP, adding that the girl’s parents are with her.
Additional Commissioner of Police (eastern range) Sagar Singh Kalsi told PTI-Videos, “We have arrested the accused and detained some of his family members. Some locals vandalised a few vehicles after they received some messages that no arrest has been made so far. Police force deployment has been made, no one will be allowed to breach law and order.”
The girl is out of danger, he said.
The officer further said the girl is being counselled apart from being given other assistance.
Sources said that after the alleged incident, the girl was crying and told her parents that while the teacher was away, his brother raped her at the tuition centre and also threatened her of dire consequences if she reveals the matter to anyone.
Meanwhile, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva strongly condemned the incident and demanded strict action against the accused.