Take stern action against CID cop, his family: HC

RANCHI: A Hindustan Times report exposing brutality of a CID inspector against his 13-year-old tribal housemaid on Wednesday moved the Jharkhand high court, which directed the state government to take stringent action against culprits besides adequately compensating the victim.

Taking suo motu cognizance of the report published on August 10, a division bench headed by chief justice Virender Singh observed that intensive care and protection to the victim was immediately required to rescue her from the sufferings.

The bench said stern action, in accordance with law, was required to be taken against the cop and his family, who were accused of causing such inhuman and cruel torture on the minor girl.

The court directed the chief secretary to pay `25,000 to the father of the victim immediately and report compliance of the payment on or before the next date of hearing on August 17. It also initiated a PIL in the matter and issued notice to the chief secretary, home secretary and others.

The girl was on Monday evening found with severe injuries and burns all over her body from CID inspector Umesh Thakur’s house in Ranchi. Childline India Foundation, an NGO, and the state labour department recovered the teenager with burn injuries, a blackened eye and an infected gash on the head.

The accused CID inspector and his wife Madhuri allegedly burnt the girl from Gumla with hot iron knife, slapped her on face and kicked her in gut regularly.

Ranchi Child Welfare Committee (CWC) officials said the employers had plucked off the girl’s nails with sharp objects and that she also had a broken finger.

The girl is undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital, where doctors said her ailments were not life threatening. They said she needs treatment for a longer period of time.

“She is currently lodged at Premashray, a government funded shelter home in Ranchi. Her parents are here but given her medical condition, they have not been allowed to take her away,” said CWC Ranchi member Meera Mishra.

Police said the accused inspector was on a departmental training, but declined to reveal the place.

“His wife and brother-in-law, Chandan Thakur, an equal culprit in the case, are absconding. We have raided their house in Namkum area a couple of times since Monday but they could not be found,” said a Namkum police station officer.