New Delhi : Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ordered the suspension of a Delhi government official who is accused of multiple instances of raping a minor and impregnating her. According to the officials, Kejriwal has also sought a report from the Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar by 5pm on the matter.
Kejriwal, while talking to reporters at the sideline of an event here, also appealed to the Delhi Police to immediately arrest the accused officer. ‘I have ordered the chief secretary to suspend the officer till the inquiry is pending. I have also sought a report from the chief secretary by the evening,’ Kejriwal said.
An FIR was registered against a senior Delhi government official for raping a 16-year-old girl repeatedly over several months at his residence.
Reportedly, the sexual assault left the girl pregnant, after which the suspect’s wife gave her abortion pills to terminate the pregnancy. The accused is a deputy director in the Women and Child Development Department.
“This is a horrific incident…This incident has shamed humanity. Action should have been taken by now. Since action was not taken, CM Arvind Kejriwal has himself ordered the suspension of the official…” said AAP minister Saurabh Bharadwaj.
Meanwhile, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chairperson Swati Maliwal criticised the police for inaction. “We are also issuing a notice to Delhi govt because we want to know what are the complaints against him and what actions have been taken against him…”, Maliwal said to a news agency.
Police on Monday arrested Premoday Khaka, the accused after preliminary investigation.
The girl’s parents were Delhi government employees and was friends with the suspect and his family. Her father passed away in 2020 following which the accused had extended support to the family by offering to take her to his home inorder to recover from the trauma.
Reportedly, the accused met the girl at a religious place in Burari. According to DCP Kalsi, the girl stayed with the accused for nearly five months.
Officials said that the girl was allegedly raped several times at his residence between October 2020 and February 2021.
In between, the girl found out that she was pregnant and told his wife. Reportedly, she was asked not to reveal the incident and was later given abortion pills to terminate the pregnancy.
Also, when the girl’s mother visited her at the residence, she had asked to take her home. The incident was brought to light when the girl opened up to the counselor at a hospital, where she was admitted, after suffering from an anxiety attack. She was admitted to a hospital in North Delhi.
“After extensive counselling, she confided in the doctors, counsellors, and police officers about the sexual abuse. She said she had terminated her pregnancy after receiving the abortion pills from the suspect’s wife,” DCP Kalsi as quoted to a news agency.
