12 July,2009 08:28 AM IST | | Bipin Kumar Singh
MUJHE bahut maara, maine kewal ek anda uthaya tha, bhookh lagi thi, paisa bhi nahin tha," recalled 12-year-old Rohit (name changed),u00a0 who was allegedly beaten up for stealing an egg by a shopkeeper on Friday evening.
Rohit, a resident of Parel, is new to the city. He accompanied his mother to Mumbai from his hometown Uttar Pradesh to undergo treatment and his father works as a security guard. A class six student, Rohit lost his way home and reached M/s Shantaram General Stores inquiring for the address at 6 pm. "I was hungry and had no money. My eyes fell on a boiled egg and I was tempted to pick one without the consent of the shopkeeper... he caught me red-handed," he said.u00a0
"The shopkeeper (identified as Prashant Shete, 40) thrashed me badly. He then dragged me into a room attached to his shop, where I was locked till 10 pm," Rohit narrated.
At night, a drunken Shete woke up Rohit and beat him again. "I cried, but went unheard. He then threw me out of the room. Since it was dark, I was scared and could not locate my house. It was a little past midnight when Nitin Chauhan found me. I narrated the entire incident to him and he took me to the police station," explained Rohit.
Initially, at the police station, the boy was so terrified he could not utter a word but later he told them what had happened. Rohit was then taken for a medical examination to KEM hospital. Accordingly, a complaint was registered as offence u/s 323, 342, 355 of Indian Penal Code against Shete. It was nearly 6 am by the time the police completed their formalities and escorted Rohit back home.
Rohit added, "I want the police to punish the shopkeeper as badly as he punished me. I admit my mistake and promise not to steal again." On Saturday, Shete was produced before the Bhoiwada court and was released on a bail of Rs 10,000. However, he denied the charges levied against him.
