Woman Pilot, Husband 'Beat' Minor Domestic Help; Neighbours Confront

A couple in Dwaraka has been arrested for allegedly beating up a 10-year-old girl who worked as a domestic help at their house. The incident stirred massive outrage among the public, who confronted the couple. Kaushik Bagchi, 36, and Poornima Bagchi, 33, were thrashed by the angry mob.

According to the police, Poornima Bagchi was a pilot employed by a private airline, while Kaushik Bagchi was working as ground staff for another private airline. The couple had employed the minor girl as domestic help at their residence through a relative who also worked in a nearby house.

Woman Pilot Manhandled For Assaulting Minor

Police have arrested the couple for allegedly assaulting the minor. The minor girl’s relatives have claimed that the couple often hit her with hot iron tongs and demanded that strict action be taken against the accused. They added that the girl was employed to take care of the couple’s child, but she was made to do all the housework.

The parents of the minor girl said  that they believed the couple would educate her as promised. The distressed parents shared that they never expected the couple to assault their daughter and make her life a living hell. They had sent their daughter to the couple’s home in good faith, but they never thought they would get to see her after two months with bruises and swellings.

The girl’s family lived about 500 metres away from the couple’s apartment. She had been working there for two months, but no one was aware of the abuse until the girls’ aunt spotted her being beaten up by her employer.

Then the girl recounted the entire ordeal to her family. She was shivering and crying when she fled out of the house. She had bruises and swelling on her face. The girl had opened up and said that she was forced to do all the housework and was beaten up by the employer. The girl claimed that whenever she made a mistake, Poornima Bagchi used to attack her with hot iron tongs. The girl had several burn marks on her hands.

The girl’s uncle stated that there were multiple burn marks on her, she was terrified, and she was in a very bad state of mind. Her uncle also revealed that the girl had been left to starve for the last 3–4 days and was often given only stale food to eat. He added that the girl had been beaten up for the past 15 days for not working properly.

The police shared that the medical examination revealed that some of the burn marks sustained by the girl were old while others were fresh. However, they are yet to ascertain if the burn marks were caused during her stay with the couple.

The girl’s parents hailed from the Muzaffar district of Bihar. They had gone to attend the funeral of a family member and would return to Delhi on Thursday.

The girls’ relatives are demanding strict action be taken against the accused so that no one dares inflict such crimes on a child.

Mob Confront Woman Pilot And Her Husband

A video of the angry mob accusing the couple of assaulting the minor girl has been doing the viral rounds on the internet. The mob manhandled and beat the couple. The video shows the mob manhandling and beating the couple. Some women were seen pulling Poornima Bagchi’s hair and slapping her while she was in her pilot uniform.

The video also showed Poornima Bagchi apologising while her husband was seen shielding her from the angry mob. He urged them to leave her alone and expressed concern over her safety. Finally, an elderly man is seen intervening, after which the agitated crowd disperses.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police, Dwarka, M. Harshavardhan, the police received information about the incident around 9 am. They were informed that a minor child who was employed as a housekeeper was being mistreated by the employers.

It was discovered that the 10-year-old girl had been working at the couple’s house for the past two months. The girl was beaten by the couple in front of her relative on Wednesday. After the matter spread out, a crowd gathered outside the couple’s home. They confronted and manhandled them.

The DCP of Dwaraka said that the minor girl was sent for a medical examination and was provided counselling. The police revealed that the girl had injuries to her eyes and burn marks on her body.

Cases under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapon or means), 342 (wrongful confinement), and 370 (bullying or disposing of a person as a slave) of the Indian Penal Code, the Child Labour Act, and Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act have been registered against the couple.

The DGP stated that the minor girl hadn’t levelled any sexual allegations against the couple. He added that action would be taken based on the complaint when asked if action would be taken against the mob that manhandled the couple.

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