Van driver arrested for lewd act with 9-yr-old girl

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

In a deeply disturbing incident, a van driver who had been ferrying school children for the past three years was arrested for allegedly committing an obscene act with a 9-year-old girl. The accused held her hand telling we will go out together and also informed her to tell parents that she will be reaching home late in the evening. The incident occurred on July 31, even as the Student Safety Campaign by the Police Commissionerate was underway. The accused has been identified as Ganesh Sampat Shinde (34, resident of Ambedkarnagar), who was later arrested by the Mukundwadi Police. It is alleged that the police tried to hush up the matter.

What happened

The girl studies in an English-medium school at Harsul T-Point and has been traveling in Ganesh’s school van for the past three years. On July 31, around 2 pm, after all the other children had been dropped off, Ganesh allegedly stopped the van a short distance from the girl's house. He held her hand and said, “You're very cute. Let's go out tomorrow. Tell your parents that you'll be late returning from school.”

Frightened and confused, the child moved away and sat silently at the back of the van. Before dropping her home, Ganesh also warned her not to tell anyone about the incident.

Child opens up later

Back at home, the girl remained unusually quiet throughout the day, which raised concerns for her parents. Around 10 pm, her mother gently coaxed her into sharing what happened. In tears, the child revealed Ganesh’s actions. Shocked and furious, the parents immediately contacted the school and then rushed to Mukundwadi Police Station, where an FIR was lodged. Ganesh was arrested soon after.

One contractor, different drivers

Upon contacting the school, the parents found that the school had no contact information for Ganesh, the actual van driver. The school management only had the number of a transport contractor, who had apparently outsourced the job to multiple unknown drivers, including Ganesh. This serious lapse in safety oversight by the school and the contractor has now come under scrutiny.