The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes on Monday took suo motu cognizance of media reports of a tribal girl from Jharkhand being employed as a domestic worker by a Gurugram couple, who are accused of routinely beating her up and torturing her.
The ST Commission, in a notice issued to the Gurugram Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, and Commissioner of Police, said that it had taken cognisance of a media report which revealed that the police in Gurugram were investigating the accused couple for trafficking of minors as well.
Soon after the minor, from Jharkhand, was rescued, the couple, Manish Khattar and his wife Kamlajeet Kaur, were booked and arrested by the police, following which both of them were let go by their employers.
The victim told presspersons at the hospital while recovering that she was routinely abused, beaten up, and tortured by the couple for purportedly not working properly.
Taking up the case for investigation, the commission sought an action-taken report from authorities in Gurugram within a day. The panel said that authorities should also report what action had been taken against the accused, what charges had been added against them and whether they included charges under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and details of compensation under the Act released to the victim and her family.
The NCST in its notice said that in the event authorities fail to submit the report, the commission may go ahead and invoke its powers as a civil court to summon officials and proceed with their probe.
On Sunday, Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda also met with the victim and her family members in Gurugram, where he said he assured them of all help possible. In a tweet, the former Jharkhand Chief Minister said he was “stunned” by the extent of brutality that the 17-year-old tribal girl was subjected to, adding, “Such barbaric acts in a civilised society is not just unfortunate but also puts a question mark on humanity itself.”
