In a shocking incident, a video of a five-year-old girl emerged on social media on Wednesday where she was seen lying alone on a terrace, trussed up and struggling to break free as the sun beats down mercilessly. The video horrified all those who saw it. Delhi Police registered an FIR against the mother of the child.
The incident took place on June 2 in Delhi's Khajuri Khas area.
Investigations revealed that the child, who can be heard crying feebly in the purported video, was being punished by her mother because she hadn’t done her homework, officials said.
As outrage escalated and several people demanded action, officials said the girl’s family has been identified and her mother booked for cruelty.
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A case under section 75 (cruelty to child) of Juvenile Justice Act has been registered at the Khajuri Khas Police Station against the child’s mother, a senior official said.
In the video shot from a nearby house, the girl can be heard crying for help and struggling to free herself.
A woman, who shot the around 25-second-long video, claims in the background that the mother of the child tied her hands and legs and left her on the roof in the sweltering heat around 2 pm.
What did the parents say?
The girl’s father, however, defended his wife, saying she just wanted their daughter to focus on studies.
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"When I got to know about the incident, I told her that this is not the way to punish a child. My wife feels guilty and regrets her actions. Her intention was not bad but the way she punished our daughter was harsh," said the girls’ father who is a tailor.
He said his daughter was weak in studies and his wife wanted her to work harder to score well.
"She had left our child for just 10-15 minutes (on the terrace) but the police are labelling her as a criminal and harassing us. We also have a 11-year-old son and never done anything like this before," he added.
How the the police and government react?
Earlier in the day, the Delhi Police had tweeted: “After a video of a girl child tied up on the roof of a house surfaced on social media, all possible efforts were made by Delhi Police to ascertain her identity and circumstances. The family of the child has been identified and appropriate action initiated."
The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) said it has taken suo moto cognizance of the video and issued a notice to the SHO of Khajuri Khas Police Station seeking the safety of the child.
"This is a very serious matter and the girl needs to be urgently rescued," DCW Chairperson Swati Maliwal said.
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The DCW said it has sought a copy of the FIR registered by police and questioned whether the girl has been produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC).
The commission has asked the Delhi Police to provide a detailed action taken report by June 10.
Meanwhile, social media users expressed outrage over the incident.
“This is HORRIBLE. Please take note of this immediately,” said Rahul Singh urging authorities to act on the matter.
Another user Anand Verma said, “Please look into this matter immediately.”
(With PTI Inputs)
