A school bus driver was arrested on Thursday, April 24, for sexually abusing a four-year-old boy in Navi Mumbai's Nerul, as per the India Today report. Residents and parents staged a protest against the crime on Monday morning outside the school. The 25-year-old accused identified as Sujit Das and charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO).
The alleged accused was arrested by NRI coastal police and has been remanded in police custody until April 30. As per the complaint, the complainant complained of discomfort in his private parts after returning home from school, and when asked more by his parents, he said "bus uncle."
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The accused allegedly inserted a pencil in the boy's private part. The police are going through CCTV footage of the bus on which the boy travelled to school. They are checking whether a lady attendant was present inside the bus or not. It is also being checked whether the accused enters the school.
Parents staged a protest at a Nerul private school. a parent said, "The incident being described actually happened inside the washroom, but the school has portrayed it as if the incident occurred inside the bus, which is not true. They claimed that the incident happened in the bus, and they also said they checked the CCTV footage. However, the footage won’t show anything because nothing happened in the bus."
Shiv Sena Uddhav Group District President Prakash Patil said, "It's a very big question. If it's said that the protectors are thieves, then how was the principal kept in position after a serious crime was filed against him? And that too for two years, we don't understand the reason behind it. There must be someone behind this."
MNS leader Sachin Kadam said, "The incident happened 3-4 days ago. The child, who is under 4 years old, went home and told his mother what had happened, that he was being harassed. After that, the mother called the guardian to their home. Later, that same afternoon, they went to meet Principal Mr. Vasisht. When such an incident occurs, it's the principal's duty to address it with care and take immediate action..."
Last year, an outrage began when two school girls were sexually assaulted by a peon in Badlapur, which led to widespread public outrage.