Following the sexual assault on a 14-year-old girl, who was undergoing treatment at the Sardar Patel Covid-19 care centre in south Delhi’s Chhatarpur by another coronavirus patient in the washroom, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said stringent action will be taken against accused. The incident occurred on July 15.

The CM said the incident is unfortunate and matter is being investigated. “A case has been registered and stringent action will be taken against the accused,” Kejriwal said on Friday. 

According to police, the incident took place on the night of July 15, when the girl had gone to the washroom and a complaint was registered under Section 376 (punishment for sexual assault) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the relevant provisions of the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

“The 19-year-old man, who allegedly sexually assaulted her, was arrested along with one of his associates. Both have been sent to judicial custody,” said a senior police official.

“The girl and the accused, who lived in a slum cluster here, were admitted at the centre along with their relatives. The girl narrated her ordeal to one of her relatives,

who is also undergoing treatment at the centre. The matter was then reported to an ITBP official, who informed the police,” said an official at the Covid centre.

The 10,000-bed Covid care centre at the Radha Soami Satsang Beas, which was inaugurated earlier this month by Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, has been set up in Chhatarpur for treating mild and asymptomatic coronavirus patients.

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is the nodal agency operating the centre, which also serves as a treatment centre for those who are asymptomatic but cannot afford home isolation.