NEW DELHI: A six-year-old girl with special needs was sexually abused allegedly by a man at a private therapy centre in Rohini. The suspect has been arrested.The survivor’s family alleged that the accused was a therapist at the centre. Centre officials, however, claimed that he was brought in by one of the staff for training and was not formally associated with the facility.Police were informed about the incident on Sept 7 after the minor allegedly showed signs of abuse. Her mother told police that the girl had been attending therapy sessions since Aug 19.Her father said they were seeking treatment for their daughter for a long time. After their doctor recommended therapy to aid in her development, they found the centre online. The sessions usually ran from 4.30pm to 5.15pm, but on Sept 6, the schedule was changed to 1pm for group activities.After returning home, the girl started behaving strangely. Her mother said the girl tried to make inappropriate physical contact. Asked about the reason, the girl just said “speech sir”, meaning a male instructor who had conducted private language sessions in isolated rooms at the centre.The woman suspected misconduct and called her husband, who was away for work. He immediately asked her to record a video. They later gave the recording to police. After the family called police, the girl was taken to hospital for a medical examination. Due to the late hour and the girl’s poor health, a formal statement was deferred until Sept 7.On that day, she gave a detailed statement, which was corroborated during a session with a counsellor. The girl used gestures to confirm that she was inappropriately touched on her chest and other private parts, said police.A case under sections 74 (assault or use of criminal force to outrage a woman’s modesty) and 75 (sexual harassment) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 10 (punishment for aggravated sexual assault) of Pocso Act was registered at Samaypur Badli police station. According to Delhi Police, on average, five people were arrested daily in the city this year for allegedly sexually assaulting or abusing minors, with four cases registered each day under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. According to the data, till May this year, 543 cases were registered, leading to 697 arrests. Of these, 508 cases were solved. (The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
