Delhi Nursery Student Sexually Assaulted; School Bus Driver Arrested

Delhi Police have arrested a school bus driver for allegedly sexually assaulting a three-year-old nursery student at a private school in the Bawana area of outer-north Delhi. The incident came to light on August 19 when the child's family noticed injuries on her private parts. Upon questioning, the child told her mother about a "bad uncle" at school who had been giving her chocolates.

On August 24, the child was shown photographs and CCTV footage from the school, and she identified the accused. The man, who had been driving the school bus for around eight months, was arrested the same day from the school premises. The matter was registered at the Bawana Police Station.

The accused has been booked under sections 8, 10, and 21 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and section 74 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Preliminary investigation suggests the child was abused four times, with the driver allegedly following her to a bathroom before the assault. Police also recovered videos from his phone showing him giving chocolates to children.

CCTV footage from across the school premises has been taken into possession and sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for examination. A Special Investigation Team has been constituted to probe the case.

Following the incident, police issued an advisory to schools, urging them to engage only police-verified staff, including drivers, helpers, and guards. Schools have been advised against hiring unverified persons or non-commercial vehicles for student transportation and must ensure functional CCTV coverage with backup and deployment of female staff to oversee children.

The incident has drawn political reactions, with AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj criticizing Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta over her response to a series of sexual abuse cases involving minors in the capital.