Girl who was tortured by mother, handed over to her father

A senior police officer privy to the probe said that even if the girl lives with both her parents, her father will be responsible for her welfare.

A day after the video of a five-year-old student of Class 1--who was tied with a rope and left to suffer on the terrace of her house in the scorching heat by her mother for not doing her homework in northeast Delhi’s Khajuri Khas area--went viral on social media, the child and her parents were produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and her custody was given to her father.

A video grab shows the girl, her hands and legs tied, on the terrace of her home in northeast Delhi’s Khajuri Khas. (Sourced)

A senior police officer privy to the probe said that even if the girl lives with both her parents, her father will be responsible for her welfare.

He said while legal action under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act has been taken against the mother, she has not been arrested.

“According to the law, if the punishment for a charge is less than seven years than there is no need to make an arrest. The mother has joined the investigation and there is no apprehension that she will leave town,” the senior police officer said.

In the video, purportedly shot by a neighbour, the girl can be seen tied with a rope and writhing in pain on the hot terrace under the sun.

An investigator said that the incident took place on June 2, but the matter came to light on Wednesday when the video surfaced after which police took suo motu action and traced the family to Khajuri Khas. The mother of the girl confessed to the police that she punished her daughter for not doing her homework.

According to the girl’s father, his wife was teaching their daughter but she was not finishing her homework. He also said that his wife left the minor girl on the terrace for about 10 minutes. He added that the video was recorded by a minor boy who lives next door.