Canteen boy arrested for molesting 7-year-old girl in Naigaon school

MUMBAI: Even as protests continue against the sexual assault of two four-year-old girls at a Badlapur school, the Vasai police have arrested a 16-year-old boy working in the canteen of a school in Naigaon for allegedly molesting a seven-year-old student. The boy was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, which has remanded him to a children’s home.
The incident came to light after the school recently organised an educative session on good touch and bad touch. “After the Badlapur sexual assault case, we had taken a meeting with the school authorities in which the school teachers were asked to speak to children to ascertain if any of them had suffered sexual assaults or misbehaviour,” said a police officer.
After the teachers conducted a session on good touch and bad touch, a seven-year-old girl who studies in Class 2 told her grandfather on Thursday that the canteen boy was misbehaving with her, the police officer added.
The girl’s parents then informed her class teacher and the school management, after which the boy was identified and the police was called. The offence was registered following a complaint received from the school authorities.
“We have arrested the canteen boy and booked him under section 8 (punishment for sexual assault) and section 12 (punishment for sexual harassment) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012,” said the police officer.
While the boy was sent to a remand home, the police are inquiring if he has sexually abused any other school student. “There are CCTV cameras installed in the school, and we will check the footage to ascertain this,” added the police officer.
The police said the accused started working in the school canteen two months ago. An external agency runs the canteen on a contractual basis.