A ‘good touch, bad touch’ session organised by an NGO led a seven-year-old girl to narrate her ordeal of a year-long molestation by a neighbour. The 28-year-old man, a stock exchange employee, has been detained by the Tilak Nagar police for the alleged assault which took place in a deserted building in their neighbourhood. The complainant in the case is a social worker to whom the girl revealed the ordeal at the school-related session in Ghatkopar.
When the social worker found the child’s demeanour at the session a little suspect, she took her aside and counselled her into revealing how the man would often touch her inappropriately and pick her up that made her uncomfortable.
The child’s parents were immediately informed but they were reluctant to approach the police and said that the child tied rakhi to the man every year. The NGO then sent a written complaint to the Ghatkopar police, who forwarded it to the Tilak Nagar police under whose jurisdiction the area comes.
The police said the case is technical in nature and a probe has been initiated to look for evidence to substantiate the allegations. Meanwhile, a notice of arrest and summon has been sent to the accused.
A case has been registered under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code and section 8 (sexual assault) and 12 (sexual harassment) of the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
