Bengaluru school guard held for molesting child

A security guard of a private school here was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly molesting a three-year-old child, police said.

"We have arrested the 25-year-old accused under POCSO Act and section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) after the victim identified him as 'school uncle' who molested her," Additional Commissioner of Police P. Harishekharan told reporters here.

The assault on the pre-nursery child came to light when she, on returning home from school Monday afternoon, complained to her parents that she was feeling a pain in the abdomen.

"When the victim's parents noticed swelling in her private parts, they took her to a private hospital where check-up and preliminary tests revealed she was violently assaulted by an elder person," Harishekharan said.

Police asked the parents to take their child to a state-run hospital for medical examination and an official report to register a case against the accused and the school, which failed to protect its ward in violation of the guidelines given by the state government to ensure the safety and security of students, especially girls.

"We are waiting for the medical report from the government (Bowring) hospital in the city, to ascertain if the child was sexually assaulted or molested to charge the accused and firmly act against the school," said Harishekharan.

According to preliminary investigation, the guard has been working in the school since four years and resides on the premises with his wife, who is an attendant in the same school.

"The victim's elder sister, who also studies in the same school, told her parents that the guard would often call her younger sister by name, fondle her and give chocolates to both of them," Harishekharan said.

As the family hails from Manipur, about 100 members of the North-East Association protested against the school and sought stringent action against its management for failing to ensure their ward's safety.