The former Deputy Director of the Women and Child Department, Premoday Khakha and his wife were arrested by Delhi Police on Monday in connection with the rape of a friend’s minor daughter. Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, had urged the police to apprehend the suspect as soon as possible earlier in the day. Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar immediately suspended the guilty officer in accordance with Kejriwal’s directive. In addition, Kejriwal requested that the Chief Secretary deliver a report on the situation by today at 5pm. In accordance with the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the Delhi Police charged the accused and his wife with rape on Sunday after the girl claimed she had been sexually assaulted by the officer multiple times between 2020 and 2021 and that his wife had also given her abortion pills to end her pregnancy.
DCP Sagar Singh Kalsi told, “The girl is still in stress and shock. She is under observation at the hospital. We are waiting for the green signal from the doctors, after which the girl’s statement will be recorded before a magistrate.”
“The parents of both families were family friends”
The accused and the family of the survivor child apparently first met at a Burari church, where they usually went, about three years ago. The father of the survivor was a government official while the mother works as a teacher in a North Delhi school. Survivor is the only child of her parents.
DCP Kalsi stated, “The accused offered to take the girl home, take care of her, and help her overcome the shock when she lost her father in October 2020.” According to the police, the accused’s proposal was quickly accepted by the survivor’s mother because they were close family friends. The survivor said she was abused for four months between October 2020 and February 2021 while she was staying at the officer’s residence in Burari.
”She asked her mother to take her home”
According to the police, in 2021, when the girl came to know that she was pregnant, she trusted the accused’s wife. In her allegation in the FIR, the survivor informed the police that the accused’s wife had asked her son to bring abortion pills and terminated the pregnancy of the minor at home. According to the police, the mother of the girl visited the accused’s home a few months later to meet her.
DCP Kalsi stated that, “The girl requested her mother to take her home as she wasn’t feeling well.” The girl went back home with her mother, but her mother was unaware of her daughter’s pregnancy for a long period of time.
“Survivor trusts hospital counsellor”
According to Burari police, the girl started exhibiting “anxiety” earlier this month, due to which her mother took her to the hospital. She informed doctors, counsellors, and police officials about the sexual abuse after undergoing extensive counselling, according to DCP Kalsi. She claimed that her pregnancy ended after taking abortion pills from the wife of the accused.
According to the police, this was the first time the mother of the survivor learned about the matter. The survivor is currently receiving treatment, and as reported by the police, they will shortly record her statement for the court.
AAP leader and minister Saurabh Bhardwaj said that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has ordered the suspension of the accused officer on Monday, August 21.
