School bus driver arrested for sexually assaulting two six-year-old students in Pune

Representative image | Photo credit: Satheesh Vellinezhi

Police have arrested the driver of a school bus for allegedly sexually assaulting two six-year-old schoolgirls in Pune city in Maharashtra, an official said on Thursday (October 3, 2024).

“The incident occurred on September 30 on board the van when the schoolgirls were returning home after attending school in Wanwadi area,” he said.

Both girls were allegedly abused by the accused when they returned home from school. “One of the students later narrated the incident to her mother, who then informed the school authorities,” the Wanwadi police station official said.

Subsequently, a police complaint was lodged and the accused driver, identified as Sanjay Reddy, was charged and arrested under Sections 64 (punishment for rape) and 65 (2) (punishment for rape of a woman under twelve years of age) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO).

In August, a street sweeper allegedly sexually assaulted two four-year-old girls at a school in Badlapur in Thane district, sparking massive protests. The accused Akshay Shinde was later arrested. He was killed on September 23 in a suspected shootout with police.