Dehradun: In a shocking incident, a child was assaulted at a madrasa in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun, officials said on Saturday. Following an investigation, the police confirmed the assault and registered a case against the madrasa operator at Patel Nagar police station. Dehradun SSP Ajay Singh confirmed the incident.
The incident first gained attention on August 8, when about 30 children at the madrasa fell ill, and a video related to the incident surfaced. The Uttarakhand Child Rights Protection Commission took cognisance of the video and directed SSP Ajay Singh to investigate the matter.
A joint inspection team, led by Dr Geeta Khanna, Chairperson of the Child Rights Protection Commission, and the ISBT Police Outpost In-charge, was formed to investigate. The team inspected the madrasa, which includes 250 students, 60 of whom are from Bihar. Additionally, 55 students reside in the madrasa's hostel.
During the investigation, the police examined the CCTV footage from the madrasa. It was found that on July 25, around 2.30 pm, someone had covered one of the CCTV cameras with tape, obstructing the view. Upon further investigation of the footage, the police discovered that on July 27, children were lined up in a room and severely beaten up by an unidentified person. The footage also showed a child locked in a room and lying on the floor during the assault.
When questioned by Dr Khanna, the madrasa operator, Raees Ahmed, provided unsatisfactory answers. Based on the evidence, the police registered a case against Ahmed under the Juvenile Justice Act.
SSP Ajay Singh added that the Anti-Human Trafficking Team has also been involved in the investigation due to complaints that some children were brought to the madrasa against the wishes of their parents. The case, based on the CCTV footage and other evidence, is currently under investigation.
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