Nainital: Investigators probing the case of alleged sexual assault of a three-and-a-half-year-old girl by the driver and the conductor of her school van in Haldwani claimed that the accused have admitted that pointed objects were inserted in the child’s private part.The accused Pradeep Joshi (32) and Ratan Singh (40) are being questioned and will be produced in court on Saturday, police said.Haldwani additional superintendent of police (ASP) Amit Srivastava said, "The accused driver and conductor of the school van have been arrested and a case was registered under various sections of the POCSO Act and section 354 (assault or criminal force on a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code on Thursday." Conductor Pradeep Joshi is a resident of Almora district and driver Ratan Singh is a resident of Mukhani area of Haldwani.Kamal Hasan, station house officer of Kathgodam police stations said, "Preliminary medical examination has revealed that objects were inserted in the child's private part. We are still waiting for the final medical report."The child, who studies in a pre-school, was allegedly assaulted sexually in Kathgodam last week and the matter came to light on Thursday when the girl complained of stomach ache and was taken to a doctor.The child was sexually abused by the two men for at least a week. The school is located about 10 km from her home and she is the last student to dropped. The van takes nearly two hours to drop the child home from school.Tanuja Joshi, a Haldwani-based activist, said, "This is a shameful incident which reflects the rot in our society. Steps must be taken to ensure security and well being of children and women."

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