Chhattisgarh: School bus conductor rapes 4-year-old girl in Kawardha, held

Kawardha: A private school bus conductor was arrested for allegedly raping a four-year-old girl in Chhattisgarh's Kawardha district, police said on Wednesday.

The incident occurred on Tuesday and it came to light when the girl reached home and told her mother that she was suffering a lot of pain in her internal parts. The girl was immediately taken to the hospital where it came to light that she had been raped. After that the girl's family members reached the police station late in the evening and submitted an application to lodge an FIR.

Kawardha Superintendent of Police (SP) Lal Ummed Singh said, "A minor girl studying in a private school in the district was sexually assaulted. The victim's mother had filed a complaint in this regard at Kotwali police station. Acting on the complaint, a case was registered under IPC section 376 A, B and POCSO Act and started investigation into the matter."

"After that when the minor was questioned, she told the police that the conductor of the bus by which she used to go to school violated her. The police further investigated the matter and arrested the accused conductor. The accused has been identified as Mukesh Yadav, a resident of Pipariya village in the district. Based on the investigation of the matter, the police added the additional sections 25, 75 and 85 of the Juvenile Justice Act," he added.

"Besides, the police also arrested the principal of the school, Jagdish Sankhla in the matter. Further probe into the matter is going on and whoever is found to have not discharged their responsibilities, action will be taken against them," he added.

Reacting to the incident, BJP spokesperson Kedar Gupta said, "The Congress-led Bhupesh government has made Chhattisgarh a crime city. Crime incidents are continuously increasing in the state. Incidents of crime against women are also continuously increasing. In Kawardha, there is an incident of rape with a four-year-old girl and till now the accused is out of reach of the police."

"The administration is working completely under political pressure. The police stations are buried under the political leaders. On getting a phone call, criminals are being let off or criminals are not being caught. BJP demands that the accused in the Kawardha incident should be caught soon and strict action should be taken against them after a complete investigation at the earliest. A tense situation is arising in the entire state, CM Baghel should be worried about it," he added.

On the other hand, Congress Communication Department Chief Sushil Anand Shukla said, "This is a very serious matter. The accused have been arrested, they are being interrogated. Police are doing a detailed investigation into the matter and strict action will be taken against the accused. Such incidents should not happen in society." (ANI)