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We were paraded naked, apologised and cried, but they did not stop, say traumatised kids beaten up near Mumbai
MUMBAI CITY NEWS: Sources said that the children refused to step out of the house and were unable to sleep. They children and their mothers were sent to the child shelter to escape the continuous stream of curious residents.
The two children who were paraded naked in Uhasnagar on Saturday are being counselled at a children’s shelter to get over the trauma.
After HT tweeted about their condition to Maneka Gandhi, the minister for Women and Child Development, she replied and promised that action would be taken. On Tuesday, AN Tripathi, member-secretary of Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, visited the children, who were scared after the incident.
Their mothers want to lodge a case against the mother of the accused as she had allegedly provoked him.
Sources said that the children refused to step out of the house and were unable to sleep. They children and their mothers were sent to the child shelter to escape the continuous stream of curious residents.
“We ate the chaklis, after which we were asked to do 100 sit-ups, were slapped many times and were undressed. Our heads were shaved and a garlands made of shoes were put around our necks. We were paraded naked. They fed us chaklis forcibly, we apologised and begged them to stop. We were crying. They also threatened that they would injure us with a sharp object. They wanted to write ‘daaku’ on our shaved heads,” one of the kids told HT, while showing bruises on his neck. “Later, two of them came to our house and beat up my brothers too.”
AN Tripathi said, “I got a call from Delhi to look into the matter. We shifted them to a children’s shelter . They are being counselled now. We will train the mother to become self sufficient.”
The children will stay at the shelter until school starts. “I am happy but we plan to lodge a complaint,” said one of the mothers. “Our children are scared to step out of the house as they feel that they will be beaten up again. My child wakes up in the middle of the night.”
Child welfare committee chairperson Minal Thakur said, “As soon as I came to know, I visited them. I also urged the police officers to add charges under the Juvenile Justice Act as it was inhuman.”
