Gurugram couple sacked after beating up minor domestic help with hot tongs
In a fresh case of atrocities against domestic help, a couple in Gurugram allegedly tortured and sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl, who worked for them. While the minor was rescued on Monday, the couple were arrested on Tuesday (February 8). They have also been sacked by their respective employers.
The accused, identified as Manish Khattar and his wife Kamaljeet Kaur, were produced before a city court on Tuesday. The court sent Khattar to two-day police remand while his wife was sent to judicial custody, police said.
Couple lose their jobs
According to his LinkedIn profile, Khattar (36) has been deputy manager at Max Life Insurance in Gurugram since April 2021. After the news broke, Khattar was immediately relieved. “Max Life believes in upholding high level of ethical and moral conduct at all times. We have severed the employment of the individual with immediate effect,” Max Life Insurance tweeted in response to a tweet by journalist Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj.
Also read: NSE phone tapping: Delhi HC grants bail to Chitra Ramkrishna
Kamaljeet Kaur, a 34-year-old public relations professional, was also sacked by her employer. “We are shocked to learn about the human rights and child abuse allegations against Kamaljeet Kaur. As an organisation, we respect the Indian legal system and are strictly against any form of human rights abuse. The company has terminated her services with immediate effect,” Kaur’s employer, public relations agency Media Mantra, tweeted.
Horrific abuse
The girl, who comes from Ranchi (Jharkhand), allegedly suffered horrific abuse over the last few months and was found with injuries all over her body, officials said. Police are also conducting her medical examination to ascertain if she was sexually assaulted.
The girl was hired by the couple five months ago through an agency to care for their three-and-a-half -year-old daughter. The couple allegedly made the minor slog and also beat her mercilessly daily. Not only would they not let her sleep the whole night, the help would also be denied any food. The child used to eat leftover food thrown in the dustbin after not being given food.
Also read: Maha journo mowed down after writing about land grab; broker arrested
A joint team of police and Sakhi, a one-stop crisis centre, rescued the girl on February 7. Several injuries were found on her hands, feet and mouth, according to the complaint filed by Pinky Malik, in-charge of the crisis centre. Her mouth was completely swollen while injury marks were found everywhere on her body, Malik alleged.
The girl was also sexually harassed, police said. She was admitted to a hospital in critical condition. A case has been registered against the couple under various sections of the law, including causing hurt, wrongful confinement, relevant sections of the Juvenile Justice Act and the POCSO Act.
(With Agency inputs)
