Saurabh Bharadwaj Delhi child rape case: Amid outrage over the alleged rape of a three-year-old girl inside the SS Mota Singh School campus in Delhi’s Janakpuri area, senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj on Wednesday reached Raj Bhavan along with women councillors to seek a meeting with Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena. However, despite waiting for several hours, the delegation was reportedly not granted an audience.
Speaking outside Raj Bhavan, Bharadwaj said the party’s only demand before the LG was that strict action be taken against police officers allegedly threatening the parents of the minor rape survivor. He questioned how justice could be delivered to the child when “even the LG and the Police Commissioner are unwilling to meet.”
Allegations Over Police Conduct in the Case
Bharadwaj said the incident took place inside SS Mota Singh Public School, where the child had recently been admitted to nursery class. According to him, the child informed her family after returning home from school that she had been sexually assaulted. He further claimed that the child later identified a senior school employee, Lalit Kumar, as the accused.
The AAP leader alleged that the victim’s mother had accused the local SHO and DCP of intimidating the family and forcing them to spend entire days inside the police station. He claimed the behaviour of the police suggested that “the victims were being treated like the accused.” Bharadwaj also questioned how the accused managed to secure bail within five days despite the case involving charges under the POCSO Act.
Councillors From Across Delhi Joined Delegation
According to Bharadwaj, councillors from several parts of Delhi, including Moti Nagar, Hari Nagar, Tilak Nagar, Janakpuri, Chandni Chowk, Ballimaran and Seelampur, had joined the delegation seeking a meeting with the LG.
He said AAP had written to the Lieutenant Governor two days earlier requesting an appointment but had received no response. He added that he had also contacted the LG office over phone on Tuesday and was told an update would be provided later, but no further communication came.
“We are not here for protests, sloganeering or demonstrations. We have not even brought placards or banners,” Bharadwaj said while addressing the media outside Raj Bhavan.
“LG Must Meet Citizens” Says Bharadwaj
Targeting the administration, Bharadwaj said the LG draws salary and receives official facilities using taxpayers’ money and therefore cannot refuse to meet elected representatives raising such a sensitive issue.
“He may not meet us today, but he will have to meet sooner or later,” Bharadwaj remarked, adding that several previous requests for meetings on important issues had also allegedly been ignored.
BJP Leaders Allegedly Linked To School Trust
Escalating his attack, Bharadwaj alleged that prominent leaders linked to the Bharatiya Janata Party had recently acquired stakes in the school’s trust and properties, which he claimed was the reason the matter was allegedly being suppressed.
He alleged that the school possesses properties worth nearly Rs 500 crore, including land parcels in West Vihar and Janakpuri, and claimed that new trustees had recently replaced older members of the trust.
Bharadwaj questioned why Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Education Minister Ashish Sood had not disclosed the names of the political leaders allegedly associated with the institution.
AAP Lists Three Main Demands
The AAP leader said the party intended to place three major demands before the LG. The first was action against the DCP accused of threatening the child’s mother. The second was disciplinary action against the SHO over allegations of harassment and intimidation of the family. The third demand was action against the school administration along with disclosure of the identities of individuals allegedly controlling the school trust.
“BJP Controls Everything From Top To Bottom”
Continuing his criticism of the BJP, Bharadwaj said that from the Prime Minister’s Office down to local Resident Welfare Associations, BJP influence had spread across every level of governance in Delhi.
He alleged that BJP leaders, ministers and councillors were pressuring local bodies and institutions to place party loyalists in positions of authority. “Today the BJP controls power from top to bottom, and yet everyone can see what is happening in Delhi,” he said.
Former Mayor Shelly Oberoi Criticises LG Office
Former Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi also criticised the LG office over the refusal to grant a meeting despite what she described as an extremely serious issue.
She said AAP women councillors and party leaders had been waiting since noon and had personally approached the Raj Bhavan gate requesting an urgent audience with the Lieutenant Governor.
Oberoi described the alleged rape of the three-year-old child inside a private school as a “deep stain and shame on society,” especially because it had occurred in the national capital.
LG Office Asked Delegation To Wait For Email Appointment
According to Oberoi, the delegation was informed that the LG was occupied in meetings and that an appointment would later be communicated through email. She said the party leaders even requested clarity on whether they should return the next day or later in the week, but were only told that the office would contact them later.
She asserted that the Lieutenant Governor has a responsibility to ensure justice for the child and her family in such a grave matter. Oberoi said the Aam Aadmi Party hopes the LG will soon provide time to meet and discuss the issue in detail.
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