Kaushik Bagchi (36) and his wife Poornima Bagchi (33) have been arrested by the police for allegedly assaulting the minor.
In New Delhi, the relatives of a 10-year-old domestic help, who was reportedly thrashed by her employer in southwest Delhi's Dwarka, made claims on Wednesday that the minor had been subjected to frequent mistreat her with hot iron tongs. They demanded stringent action against the accused.
According to their statement, the girl was hired to take care of the accused couple's child, but she was also forced to perform household chores.
Kaushik Bagchi (36) and his wife Poornima Bagchi (33) have been arrested by the police for allegedly assaulting the minor. The authorities mentioned that Poornima is employed as a pilot at a private airline, while her husband works for another carrier.
The victim's family and other relatives reside in a JJ Colony, located just 500 meters away from the apartment where she was employed as a domestic help. Despite working there for approximately two months, none of her family members were aware of the mistreatment she was enduring.
The victim's aunt, who witnessed the incident of her being beaten by her employer, reported that on Wednesday morning, while passing by the street for her work, she noticed Poornima beating the girl as she worked on the balcony. Upon seeing this, she and others approached the couple's house, but they refused to come out. Only after causing a commotion, the couple finally opened the door, allowing the child to come out, as claimed by the relatives.
The child's ordeal was narrated to her relatives after she ran out in a terrified and crying state. Her face was swollen and bruised, and her hands bore multiple burn injuries. The girl's aunt alleged that the employer, Poornima, forced her to do all the household work and resorted to beating her up as punishment for mistakes, using hot tongs and iron. Her uncle stated that burn marks were visible on her arms and other parts of her body, along with bruises on her eyes, and she was left to starve for several days, often given stale food.
The police reported that a medical examination revealed both old burn injuries and fresh wounds. However, it is yet to be confirmed if the burn injuries occurred during her stay with the couple. The girl's relatives demanded strict action against the accused couple to ensure that such offenses are never repeated against any vulnerable child.
The girl's parents had gone to their native village in Muzaffarpur district, Bihar, due to a sudden family member's death and were expected to return on Thursday.
The girl's uncle described the incident as unfortunate, stating that the girl had been facing beatings for about 15 days due to alleged improper work. After the incident came to light, the girl's relatives confronted and manhandled the couple.
The minor had been employed through a relative who works in a nearby house.
A video of the incident showed a mob attacking the accused couple, with some women slapping and pulling the hair of the accused woman, Poornima, who was seen in her uniform. Poornima was heard apologizing in the video, while Kaushik, her husband, tried to shield her from the agitated crowd, urging them to spare her life.
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