Lokkhi abuse: Haryana governor takes note

Almost two weeks after a team from the National Commission for Women and an NGO rescued teenaged domestic help who was brutally beaten up by her employers in their Gurgaon residence, Haryana Governor A R Kidwai on Friday took the issue forward.

Asks women’s panel, NGO to compile all cases of violence against helps, women and child trafficking cases in state

Almost two weeks after a team from the National Commission for Women (NCW) and an NGO rescued teenaged domestic help who was brutally beaten up by her employers in their Gurgaon residence, Haryana Governor A R Kidwai on Friday took the issue forward. Kidwai asked the NCW to compile various cases of women and child trafficking and domestic labour in Haryana.

He asked the Commission to submit the report by Monday.

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Kidwai took the step after representatives from the NCW and the NGO (Shakti Vahini) met the Haryana governor at Haryana Bhawan in the Capital today. At the meeting they discussed developments in the case of the domestic help Lokkhi. The girl’s employers, Devokjyoti and Paromita Das, were arrested on November 8 and charged with battering the teenager. They were later released on bail.

About asking the NCW to compile all such cases of abuse of helps and trafficking in the state, Kidwai said a meeting with officials from both the government and the state police would be held after going through the whole case study.

“Lokhhi’s medical reports confirmed that she is 15 years old,” NCW member Manju Hambrom said. “The tests have confirmed that she has partially lost vision in her right eye and that both her little fingers have been damaged permanently.”

She also told Kidwai that the case had been “weakened” by the Gurgaon police, who had charged the Das couple with bailable sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Child Labour Act. She also said that the victim is yet to be produced in the juvenile welfare board. “A child after being rescued should be presented in front of the Deputy Commissioner within 24 hours,” Hambrom said, “but that has still not happened in this case.”

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Kidwai in reply said that if Lokkhi’s case highlights that the police have not been able to handle its various dimensions, special provisions could be made to train the state police personnel specifically for tackling such cases. He also asked the NCW for details of other such cases, if any.

Gurgaon ACP Kailash Chand said, “After the medical report we had added Section 325 of IPC (causing grievous injuries).” It is a bailable section.

Asked about the medical report and the present status and location of Lokkhi, ACP Chand said, “I am on leave so I will not be able to say if there is any new development.”