Delhi CM Kejriwal orders suspension of officer accused of raping minor, seeks report from Chief Secretary

In a swift and strict response, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday ordered the suspension of the government official who has been booked for allegedly raping a minor and impregnating her. He also sought a report from the chief secretary Naresh Kumar by 5 pm today, news agency ANI reported.

While expressing his utter shock and disdain for such heinous acts, Kejriwal said, “I have directed the chief secretary to suspend him till the investigation is underway and have also sought a report on this by 5 pm today.”

Premoday Khakha, the officer of the Delhi government's women and child development department has been booked for allegedly raping his friend's minor daughter several times and impregnating her, police had said on Sunday. 

The 17-year-old survivor was staying with the accused - a deputy director in the department - and his family at their house after her father passed away on October 1, 2020.

The official’s wife has also been charged in the case for giving the girl medicines to terminate the pregnancy, the police said. The matter involving the official and his wife came to light when the girl, who is now in Class 12, recently narrated the incident to a counsellor at a hospital where she was admitted following an anxiety attack, the police officer said. 

The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has also been appraised of the case and is expected to contribute to expediting the investigation process and securing justice for the minor victim.

Meanwhile, DCW chief Swati Maliwal sat on 'dharna' at the hospital in Delhi where the minor girl has been admitted.

"...I want to see what it is that the Delhi Police want to hide and the DCW chief is not being allowed to go in and meet the girl?...I warn the Delhi Police, they can do whatever they want but I won't get up from here unless they let me meet the survivor and her mother..," she said.

Maliwal had earlier criticised the "slow pace of action" in the case, questioning why police had not arrested the accused yet.

“A government official holding the position of Deputy Director in the Women and Child Development Department in Delhi has been accused of sexual assault of a girl. The police have not arrested him yet. Delhi Police are issuing notices in this regard. Someone who was supposed to ensure the safety of daughters has turned into a predator. Where should girls go? Arrest should happen soon!,” she tweeted.

The girl was staying with the accused and his family at their house after her father passed away on October 1, 2020. The accused used this opportunity to allegedly sexually assault her several times, the officer added. When the minor allegedly became pregnant, she informed the wife of the accused who later asked her son to get medicines for pregnancy termination and gave them to the girl, the officer said. 

The girl returned home with her mother in January 2021 when she came to meet her. She had an anxiety attack in August this year and her mother admitted her to St Stephens’ hospital, where the girl narrated the whole incident during the counselling session, the officer added. 

Later, the hospital informed the Burari police station here and a case was registered against the accused under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, the police said. The girl’s statement is yet to be recorded before the magistrate, the officer said, adding that an inquiry is being conducted into the matter.

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