Delhi govt seals Maujpur playschool after alleged assault of 3-year-old boy

New Delhi: Delhi government has sealed a playschool in northeast Delhi's Maujpur where a three-year-old boy was allegedly physically and sexually assaulted, after an inspection found multiple safety and building norm violations, including blocked emergency exits and a non-functional fire extinguisher. The director of the pre-school and daycare activity centre failed to produce satisfactory replies or the required permissions during the inspection, according to a report prepared by Yamuna Vihar sub-divisional magistrate.

The inspection was conducted to check compliance with provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, and the Delhi Fire Service Act, 2007, it stated. According to the report, the playschool did not have a fire safety certificate, a sanctioned building plan, or a completion or occupancy certificate.

Its emergency exit and staircases were blocked; the only fire extinguisher at the premises was non-functional. A borewell was found at the playschool premises, for which no permission was produced.

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Playschool found violating safety norms

The rooms lacked proper ventilation, while the basement had rooms being used to conduct classes in violation of the Delhi Municipal Act, the report said. The school was also found operating in a residential area while carrying out commercial activity and also ran a kitchen on the first floor using domestic LPG cylinders, it said, adding that the sealing was carried out "to ensure public safety".

The action comes days after a three-year-old boy was allegedly subjected to hours of physical abuse inside the playschool. In his complaint, the child's father alleged that CCTV footage showed his son being tied to a chair for nearly three hours, beaten and kicked repeatedly.

Father alleges abuse inside playschool

The father also said that in one instance, a person was seen placing hands on the child's private parts. The allegation is part of the complaint and is being investigated by police. The family claimed that the child has since been struggling to pass stool and urine, and has become traumatised. The child's father said he called the police helpline 112 on August 27 from outside the playschool and entered the premises along with police personnel, following which the child was medically examined.

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FIR names four playschool staffers

The FIR filed accordingly mentioned swelling on the child's left thigh and a superficial abrasion near his left eye. No other external injury was noted during the examination, following which further medical examination was conducted at the GTB Hospital. A case was registered at Jafrabad police station on August 28 against four people: the director, principal, a teacher and a caretaker of the playschool.

The FIR invoked Sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 126(2) (wrongful restraint) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita; provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act; and Section 12 (sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. A caretaker has been arrested in connection with the case. Another woman has been served a notice to join the investigation, police said. Authorities have seized the CCTV footage and are examining it as part of the investigation, they said.