A 14-year-old girl in Noida has alleged that the police beat her up, burnt her with cigarettes and gave her electric shocks when she was in custody for eight days earlier this month, The Indian Express reported on Thursday. The National Legal Services Authority has sought a report from Noida’s Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Pal Sharma on the allegations.
The police detained the girl, who worked as a domestic help, reportedly after her employer accused her of theft. The police have denied the allegations, but the Noida district hospital confirmed five injuries on her body.
The girl’s family claimed that the police detained her at the Salarpur police station on May 14 and kept her there for two days without informing them about it. The police did not allow them to meet her when they went to the station either, they alleged. She was released on May 16 but detained again the next day along with her 17-year-old brother, according to The Indian Express.
They were released on May 22 after the intervention of the non-profit Bachpan Bachao Andolan and the Child Welfare Commission. The Child Welfare Commission ordered a medical examination the next day.
The medico-legal report mentioned “alleged cigarette burn and electric spark”, and found two “brown circular discolorations” near the girl’s left and right wrists, possibly due to burns. The report also listed abrasions on the girl’s right forearm and three discoloured abrasions on both wrists.
The injuries were found to be more than 10 days old and were likely caused by a hard and blunt object, the May 26 report said.
“There was a matter of theft and she was questioned,” a spokesperson for Ajay Pal Sharma’s office told The Indian Express. “If there is truth to her allegations, the matter will be probed.”
Anil Kumar Sahi, the station house officer at the police station where the girl was reportedly detained, denied the allegations and claimed the girl was not a minor. He said the girl was released the same day after interrogation.
The medico-legal case report said the girl is a minor.
The girl’s father, a vegetable vendor, said the family has not filed a police complaint as they fear they will be harassed.
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