Kapurthala maid caught thrashing toddler: Child rights panel pulls up police for not adding Juvenile Act in FIR

The Punjab State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (PSCPCR) has pulled up the Kapurthala police for not imposing sections of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act against the housemaid, who was caught in a video thrashing a 19-month-old girl at Kesariwal locality of Kapurthala.

The accused, Parveen (35) of Mehtabgarh locality in Kapurthala, was arrested on Sunday after the police booked her under Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 380 (theft in a dwelling unit) of the Indian Penal Code.

However, Section 75 (punishment for cruelty to child) of the Juvenile Justice Act, imposition of which is mandatory, was not added.

Taking cognisance of the report published in HT, PSCPCR chairman Sukesh Kalia on Monday called up Kapurthala senior superintendent of police (SSP) Sandeep Sharma and asked him to revise the sections in the case.

“I have asked the SSP to add Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act and also summoned the Kapurthala (city) station house officer (SHO) Gabbar Singh for explanation and enquire about the probe status,” Kalia said.

The incident

In the three-minute video that has gone viral on social media, the accused maid is seen hitting the child with a wooden stick, biting her cheeks and grabbing her sweatshirt besides scolding her. The child is seen screaming in pain and gasping for breath. The maid is also seen increasing the TV volume to ensure that the toddler’s screams were not audible in the neighbourhood.

Sukhdev Singh, the victim’s father, in the first information report (FIR) said they had hired Parveen at Rs 1,500 per month to look after their child in their absence as he and his wife are working. He said the maid behaved well in their presence.

“We noticed behavioural changes in our child who appeared to be frightened. Also, we saw marks on her body. We grew suspicious that something was wrong. On Friday, we fitted a mobile phone in one corner of the house with its video recording on to check what was going on,” he said.

Sukhdev claimed the maid had also stolen money and other things from their house.

SSP Sandeep Sharma was not available for comments.