Delhi playschool sealed over safety violations days after 3-year-old assaulted

According to the report, the playschool did not have a fire safety certificate, a sanctioned building plan, or a completion or occupancy certificate.Play school sealed in Delhi (Photo: AI-generated/representative)The Delhi government has sealed a playschool after an inspection found multiple violations of safety and building rules, days after a three-year-old boy was sexually and physically assaulted there. Officials said the action followed an inspection carried out under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, and the Delhi Fire Service Act, 2007.The playschool in Maujpur in northeast Delhi was sealed after the director of the pre-school and daycare activity centre failed to produce satisfactory replies or the required permissions during the inspection, according to a report prepared by the Yamuna Vihar sub-divisional magistrate.According to the report, the playschool did not have a fire safety certificate, a sanctioned building plan, or a completion or occupancy certificate. Its emergency exit and staircases were blocked, and the only fire extinguisher on the premises was not functional. A borewell was also found there, but no permission for it was produced.The report said the rooms did not have proper ventilation and that rooms in the basement were being used to conduct classes in violation of the Delhi Municipal Act. It also said the school was operating in a residential area while carrying out commercial activity, and was running a kitchen on the first floor using domestic LPG cylinders. It added that the sealing was carried out "to ensure public safety." The action comes days after a three-year-old boy was allegedly subjected to hours of physical abuse inside the playschool. In his complaint, the child's father alleged that CCTV footage showed his son being tied to a chair for nearly three hours, and being beaten and kicked repeatedly. He also alleged that in one instance, a person was seen placing hands on the child's private parts. Police said this allegation is part of the complaint and is being investigated.The family has claimed that the child has since been struggling to pass stool and urine and has become traumatised. The child's father said he called the police helpline 112 on August 27 from outside the playschool and entered the premises along with police personnel, after which the child was medically examined. The FIR said the examination found swelling on the child's left thigh and a superficial abrasion near his left eye, while no other external injury was noted. It said further medical examination was then conducted at GTB Hospital. A case was registered at Jafrabad police station on August 28 against four people — the director, principal, a teacher and a caretaker of the playschool. The FIR invoked Sections 115(2) on voluntarily causing hurt, 126(2) on wrongful restraint and 3(5) on common intention of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act and Section 12 on sexual assault under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Police said a caretaker has been arrested in connection with the case, another woman has been served a notice to join the investigation, and CCTV footage has been seized and is being examined.The sealing of the playschool follows both the inspection findings on safety and building violations and the police investigation into the alleged assault of the three-year-old boy, with authorities examining CCTV footage and continuing action against those named in the case.- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 31, 2026 23:30 IST