The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of reports of 14-year-old girl detained at a police chowki and a police station in Noida for eight days. She was beaten, burnt with cigarettes and electrocuted there. The girl, a domestic help, was detained after her employer accused her of theft.
The Commission observed that the media reports, if true, indicate cruelty of the police for which they deserved exemplary punishment so that a message could be given that such inhuman acts by a public servant can not be accepted at any cost. The law does not empower the police to humiliate and harm innocent citizens.
The Commission issued notice to DGP, OP Singh, calling for detailed report within four weeks and also report the steps taken for counselling/ rehabilitation of the victim.
As per a NHRC communiqué, the family members of the victim’s told newsmen that she was detained by the police at Salarpur police outpost on May 14, 2018, where she remained till 16th May. The family were not allowed to meet her and she was released on May 16.
The police again picked her up the next day and also took her 17-year-old brother into custody. Both were finally released in the night of May 22, following the intervention by an NGO and an order from Child Welfare Committee (CWC).
The CWC, on May 23, also ordered a medical examination of the girl. The medico legal case report has revealed discoloured ‘brown-shaped circular discolorations’ near her left and right wrists linking these to burnt marks.
The report also mentions abrasions on her right forearm near elbow and three discoloured abrasions on both wrists. It specifically clarified that all injuries were more than 10 days old, caused by hard and blunt object.
SHO of the Sector-39 police station, Noida reportedly denied the allegations of illegal detention and torture. He also claimed that the girl was not a minor.
On a complaint filed by the NGO, the National legal Services Authority (NAlSA) has sought a report from SSP of Noida through Noida District legal Services Authority. As mentioned in news report, the girl alleged that the employer himself came to their house and demanded that she work as their domestic help and when she protested, he took her away on his scooter in front of the neighbours.