A couple from Gurugram, India, who was arrested for allegedly torturing and sexually abusing a minor domestic help, has been fired from their jobs as the police search for the placement agency that employed the victim. The public relations agency where the woman worked and the insurance company where her husband was employed both announced their termination.
The victim, a 17-year-old girl from Ranchi, Jharkhand, was hired through a placement agency and suffered daily beatings, according to a complaint filed by the in-charge of the Sakhi center that helped rescue her. She had several injuries on her hands, feet, and mouth and was not allowed to sleep or eat, the complaint stated. The FIR claimed that the couple stripped the victim naked, hurt her on her private parts, and confined her to their home without allowing her to talk to her family.
The couple, Manish Khattar (36) and Kamaljeet Kaur (34), have been charged under sections 323 (causing hurt), 342 (wrongful confinement), and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, as well as provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act and the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The police are searching for the placement agency that hired the victim for ₹10,000 a month and have invoked POCSO Act’s section 12, which pertains to punishment for “sexual harassment.”
Khattar admitted to hiring the victim to care for his daughter and beating her when she made mistakes. Kaur’s former employer stated in a tweet that the company is strictly against any form of human rights abuse and has terminated her services with immediate effect. The insurance company where Khattar worked also severed his employment, stating its belief in upholding high levels of ethical and moral conduct.
The Jharkhand Chief Minister’s Office has requested the office of the Haryana chief minister and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to provide support for the victim’s rehabilitation.
