18-month-old girl raped
The accused, a friend and colleague of the girl's father in a private security company lives with them.
New Delhi: The city woke up to the shameful news of an 18-month-old girl raped allegedly by her father’s friend who was babysitting her at the toddler’s house in Shahpur Jat area in South Delhi, on Monday.
Police arrested the accused who works as a security guard. The incident took place on Monday after the girl’s parents left her in the care of the accused when they left for their respective workplaces, the police said.
The accused, a friend and colleague of the girl’s father in a private security company lives with them.
“He came back after night duty, while the girl’s father had left home for office by then. Her mother and the toddler’s siblings were at home and finding her alone, the man allegedly raped her,” said a senior police officer.
When the girl’s mother returned in the evening, she found the child crying and bleeding from the private parts. She took the toddler to a nearby hospital where it was found that she had been raped.
A case has been registered against the 21-year-old unmarried accused under Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO Act), additional DCP, South, Chinmoy Biswal said.
Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chairperson Swati Jaihind on Tuesday protested outside the residence of Union home minister Rajnath Singh demanding the death penalty to those who rape children, that too within six months of the incident.
Ms Jaihind urged the Union minister, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, lieutenant governor Anil Baijal and the Delhi police commissioner to chair a meeting on the important issue.
Ms Jaihind also urged them to visit the victim in the hospital.
According to the National Crime Record Bureau, a total of 89,423 crimes against children were reported in 2014. The number went up to 94,172 in 2015 and 1,05,785 the next year.
Between 2014 and 2016, the number of crimes recorded under the POCSO Act went up from 8,904 to 35,980, by as many as four times.
Ms Jaihind said her office will work all hours as a protest against the increase in crime against children and women. Since last week, she has been carrying out surprise visits to various places to check the measures taken there.