Nursery Student Raped By School Bus Driver In Madhya Pradesh, Two Arrested

Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra said on Twitter that both the accused have been arrested in the incident related to Bhopal's Billabong School.

A three-and-a-half-year-old nursery student was raped allegedly by her school bus driver inside the bus in Bhopal last Thursday. (Representative Pic)

Source : Getty

A three-and-a-half-year-old nursery student was raped allegedly by her school bus driver inside the bus in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, last Thursday, according to a police official quoted by news agency PTI. The police have arrested the bus driver and a woman attendant, who was present inside the bus when the incident took place, according to the child’s parents, the official said Tuesday. Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra, when asked if the school management allegedly tried to cover-up the matter, said that the role of the school administration will be investigated and action will be taken accordingly.

He said: “The role of the school administration will also be investigated. People from the school management will be questioned. I also believe the school management tried to cover-up the matter.”

Narottam Mishra said on Twitter that both the accused have been arrested in the incident related to Bhopal's Billabong School. He also said that the police are investigating the whole matter, and action will be taken against the school management if the investigation proves them to be guilty.

भोपाल के बिलाबॉन्ग स्कूल से जुड़ी घटना में दोनों आरोपियों को गिरफ्तार कर लिया गया है।

पुलिस पूरे मामले की जांच कर रही है और जांच में दोषी पाए जाने पर स्कूल प्रबंधन पर भी कार्रवाई की जाएगी। pic.twitter.com/Gbz6wO745f

— Dr Narottam Mishra (@drnarottammisra) September 13, 2022

Madhya Pradesh Congress media department in-charge K K Mishra claimed that the law and order situation had deteriorated and that girls and women were not safe under the BJP rule in the state, and sought resignation of Mishra.

The incident took place when the child, who is studying in Bhopal’s Billabong School, was returning home in the bus when the incident took place. After the girl returned home, her mother saw that someone had changed the child’s clothes with the spare set of clothes kept in her bag, the official said, according to the report.

The mother enquired with the child’s class teacher and the class principal. Both the class teacher and the principal denied having changed the girl’s clothes.

According to the report, the child complained of pain in her private parts. When her parents counselled her, the child told them that the bus driver changed her clothes, and also abused her. The next day, the parents went to the school to complain to the authorities. At the school, the child identified the driver.

On Monday, the child’s parents filed a police complaint. After this, a probe was launched into the matter, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Nidhi Saxena, said.

The ACP said that the bus driver and the woman attendant have been arrested.

She said that a case has been registered under Indian Penal Code Section 376-AB (rape of a girl under 12 years of age) and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The ACP said that the police are trying to find the exact spot where the incident took place. She also said that the victim’s medical report is awaited.