(Trigger Warning: Descriptions of sexual and physical violence. Reader discretion advised.)
"My daughter was unrecognisable and in a really bad condition when I met her. My heart skipped a beat. Why did they torture her? Is this injustice happening to us because we are poor?" asked the mother of a minor domestic worker who was allegedly beaten, tortured, stripped naked, and filmed by her employers in Gurugram for over five months.
The minor, who was employed as a full-time worker at the residence of a 55-year-old woman and her two sons in Sector 57, was rescued on Friday, 8 December.
A First Information Report (FIR) was filed by the Gurugram Police under Section 10 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act, and various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on 9 December.
While the parents claimed that the minor was 13 years old, preliminary medical reports suggested that the survivor was 17 years old, DCP (Traffic) Virender Vij, also in-charge of the local police station, said in a statement on Tuesday, 12 November.
Five days later, no arrests have been made in connection with the case. The Quint met the parents of the minor at a government hospital in Gurugram on Monday, 11 December, where their daughter is currently undergoing treatment.
'Poured Acid on Me, Touched Me Inappropriately': Minor Tells Kin
Around 1.5 years ago, the minor's parents, along with their five children, moved to Gurugram from Bihar's Sitamarhi district in search of livelihood. Since then, the teenager had been assisting her mother, a domestic worker in the city.
However, circumstances forced the parents to find a job for the minor.
"We are extremely poor. My husband is a gardener and does not earn much, and my income was not enough to support a family of eight. We had no choice."Minor's Mother told The Quint
In July 2023, the parents asked an acquaintance to find the minor a job as a domestic worker. This was when they were introduced to the 55-year-old woman.
"When we sent our daughter, she (accused) assured that she would take care of her like her own daughter. She agreed to pay us Rs 9,000 a month. We were happy, and so was our child," the minor's father told The Quint.
For the first two months, the minor was treated well by her employers, the parents claimed. However, things took an ugly turn when the employers allegedly began to beat the minor.
"My daughter told me that they (accused) would tape her mouth and beat her with a rod and hammer on a daily basis. They event cut her with a knife. One day, she said, the woman (accused) stripped her, while her sons filmed the act. They made her dance naked in front of everyone in the house. They told her that they will leak her video and sell her into prostitution," the father claimed.
The minor allegedly told her parents that the family used to starve her for food.
"They gave her food once in two days. She was never allowed to step out of the house. My daughter had such long hair, but they cut it and pulled it all out. Once, they poured acid on her while she was mopping the floor. Even when she used to bleed, they never helped," the mother claimed.
Every time the minor tried to retaliate, the accused allegedly threatened to kill her. "They warned her that if she told anyone about this, they would kill her parents. Our child was scared and horrified," the parents alleged to The Quint.
'Was Not Allowed To Meet Her Even Once': Minor's Parents
For the first two months, the mother was paid Rs 9,000 by the employer. But that stopped soon. In the last five months, the mother allegedly visited the accused's house thrice to enquire about her daughter.
"Every time, I went to their house to meet my daughter and ask for the salary, she (accused) would tell us that our daughter was not home. The woman never let me in and threatened me," the mother said.
In November, the mother allegedly went back to the employer's residence and asked for her daughter to be sent to celebrate Chhath Puja with her family.
"When I pleaded with her to send my daughter home for a day, she yelled at me and threatened me. She told me that my daughter did not want to see me, asked me to leave and shut the door on my face," the mother claimed.
What Happened on 8 December?
On Thursday night, 7 December, the mother of the girl approached her former employer and her husband, seeking help.
"She (the mother) came to our house at around 4 pm on Friday. She explained the situation to us. So, I called up the lady (accused) and asked her to let us speak to the child. She asked me if I was from the police or from an NGO. I asked why she wasn't letting the girl meet her mother, and she cut the call. We knew something was wrong and left for their home."The former employer
When the former employer, along with the parents of the child, reached the house, they saw the minor and felt "devastated."
"The child was unrecognisable when she opened the door. The lady was standing right behind her and holding her tight. Her hair had been pulled out, her hand had been burned with acid, her neck bore scars, and her face was scarred. We were extremely shocked. While the woman was reluctant to let us inside, we took the child out and left," he told The Quint.
According to police officials, an FIR was registered based on the mother's complaint under IPC sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 344 (wrongful confinement), 289 (negligent conduct with respect to animal), 506 (criminal intimidation), 509 (word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), and 34 (common intention); along with Section 75 of JJ Act, and 10 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
"No arrests have been made so far. We are questioning the accused and the investigation is underway," a police official, requesting anonymity, told The Quint.
In a statement, DCP (Traffic) Virender Vij said, "The minor girl underwent a medical examination at a government hospital, and a summary report was obtained. The age of the survivor was determined through an ossification test, revealing her to be 17 years old."
The DCP said that a medical board has been formed and a final opinion is expected on Wednesday.
The police official said that the accused woman named in the complaint "has been included in the investigation according to the procedure, and further investigations are underway on other aspects of the case.”
“Our team has questioned the employer for hours on Tuesday and was let off after she joined the investigation," DCP Vij added.
'She is Crying Continuously, Has Not Eaten Much'
The minor is undergoing treatment at a government hospital in Gurugram.
"It's been three days. My child has not eaten properly. She has been crying continuously. When we give her food, she does not have it. She is so scared and devastated," the minor's father told The Quint.
"As a mother, I felt devastated. I can't believe that this has happened to my child. What did she do to deserve this? How can someone be this inhuman? I have made a mistake sending her to work. I will never repeat this. I don't want anyone to suffer the way we are suffering right now," the mother said.
Since December 2022, this is the eighth such case of domestic workers being subjected to torture allegedly by their employers in Delhi-NCR. In February this year, a 14-year-old girl who was working as a domestic worker with a couple in Gurugram was rescued after living through five months of torture and abuse at the hands of her employers.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)