12-year-old girl from Assam allegedly abused by employer in west Delhi; files case but alleges cops are not supporting her

Minor maid hit with hammer, thumb twisted with pliers

12-year-old girl from Assam allegedly abused by employer in west Delhi; files case but alleges cops are not supporting her

Bonded labour in respected city homes may sound far-fetched but this case may prove the theory wrong.
A 12-year-old girl, working as a domestic help at New Mahavir Nagar, west Delhi, has alleged her employer not only hit her with a hammer but also twisted her fingers with pliers. Reason: she was allegedly not so competent in her work.

12-year-old girl works as domestic help in west Delhi house. The maid
says the house lady hit her on the head with a hammer. The girls also
says the lady drove screw-drivers into her arms.u00a0u00a0
Illustration: Sameer Pawar

Inhuman?
Eye-witnesses said Lakshmi, the victim, had injury marks on her forehead that could have been caused by a hammer and marks of nail pricks and cuts on her face and body. Her thumb too seemed squeezed by pliers.
The minor girl lodged a complaint of physical abuse against her house lady Pinki Singhal on January 12 this year.u00a0 Lakshmi, who belongs to Assam with her family residing in West Bengal, had been working at the New Mahavir Nagar house for about a year. On January 12, after she was hit by her employer, a neighbour took Lakshmi to the Tilak Nagar police station to file the case.

'Cops play foul'
However, allegedly the cops didn't register a case against Pinki and sent Lakshmi to the custody of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC). Officials at CWC accused cops of ignoring the case. "The police filed two complaints on separate dates and didn't register a case against Lakshmi's employer. They filed the case after a week and that too after the intervention of the CWC," said an official from CWC, wishing anonymity.

Interestingly, legal experts say though cops registered the FIR, they didn't do so under the required sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The police filed an FIR on January 16 under IPC Section 323 (Punishment for Voluntarily Causing Hurt), 374 (Unlawful Compulsory Labour), and Juvenile Justice Section 14 (Child Labour and Prohibition and Regulation) and Section 23 (Care and Protection of a Child). Pinki was arrested the next day.

"The police weren't fair. They charged the accused under a few Juvenile Justice Sections and this may help her to easily get bail from the court," said Vipin Batt, a child advocate.
Refusing to elaborate, a senior police officer investigating the case said, "A case has registered and investigation is going on."