Child help abuse: Probe initiated

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Feb. 18: The Assistant Labour Commissioner in Malda began an inquiry into a case of child help abuse and molestation following a media report today.

English Bazaar police station finally arrested Mr Sudip Chakraborty, his wife Mrs Aparajita Chakraborty and her brother Mr Biswanath Maitra under Sections 323, 324, 326 and 34 IPC and 14(I) Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986. Malda police today produced them in the chief judicial magistrate's court. The lawyers of the accused submitted a petition for bail.

Judicial Magistrate Mr TK Pradhan, first court (in charge of CJM court), rejected their bail plea and remanded them in judicial custody for seven days' further investigation.

The assistant labour commissioner in Malda, Mr Soumyanil Sarkar, said: “We have also started an inquiry following media reports and decided to register a case based on the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act 1986. We will examine the accused, his neighbours, eyewitnesses, and the people allegedly involved in guarding the accused family members and organising a reconciliation meeting preventing them from going to the labour department or police station."

"After an inquiry we will register a case and produce the accused in a court at the level of first judicial magistrate or metropolitan magistrate at least. There is no provision under the Child Labour (P&R) Act to take action against individuals who attempted to suppress the case by organising a reconciliation meeting. The police can take action against them after a thorough investigation,” Mr Sarkar added.

Gita Karmakar (7) was employed as a baby-sitter with the Chakraborty family several months earlier. Her mother alleged that she was tortured while working there.

“The injured girl was locked in the house on 15 February for hours when the couple went out. A burning candle was pressed to her buttock after she soiled the toilet,” her mother said.

Local residents of Church-pally in Ward No. 24 rescued the girl by breaking the lock of the door but did not inform the police or labour department of their actions.

Local residents backed by the CPI-M organised a reconciliation meeting and demanded Rs 22,000 in compensation. The child is alleged to have suffered burns on her body. The family finally gave Rs 7,000 to the local leaders, according to police.

“The local (CPI-M) leaders assured us that they would manage everything but after the media interfered the situation went out of control. It is simply a conspiracy against us. We have lost our social prestige,” Mrs Aparajita Chakraborty said this morning. (END)