Delhi: 4-year-old boy sexually assaults classmate using pencil, booked

NEW DELHI: A four-year-old boy has been booked for 'sexually assaulting' a classmate in the school premises in south-west Delhi’s Dwarka on November 17. The incident occurred on Friday and the family approached police the next day. The girl returned home after school on Friday and complained of pain in her private parts. She was taken to a hospital where doctors confirmed sexual assault, police said. The mother alleged she informed the school authorities but they did not take any action. Based on a complaint filed by the mother, police have registered a case under relevant provisions of the law at the Dwarka (South) police station. The school administration has been booked for alleged negligence, they said. According to India Today, a case was registered under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act after the four-year-old victim's family approached the police. "In such cases, the Indian Penal Code (IPC) provides children below seven years of age certain protections against prosecutions. We are taking help from legal experts examining those provisions even as we are handling the matter with utmost sensitivity," the news website quoted Deependra Pathak, Delhi Police's chief spokesperson, as saying. According to Hindustan Times, Pathank said the police are examining the legal provisions as “the Indian Penal Code provides children below seven years of age certain protection against prosecution”.