Hyderabad: An 11-year-old girl approached the S.R. Nagar Police Station seeking strict action against her mother and stepfather for “ill-treating” her and making her work as a labourer.
Rani showed them the injury under her left eye after her mother beat her up with an iron object. The police took a day to book the case and did not give any medical assistance to the child.
Md. Waheeduddin, the Inspector of S.R. Nagar Police Station, said, “I tried to hand her over to the Childline officials so that she could get some help. But she refused to go with them. We have booked a case and launched an investigation into the matter.”
According to Rani her mother Pushpa got separated from her husband and has been living with one Anki Reddy in Rajahmundry and they moved to Hyderabad some time back. After the woman got two daughters with Anki, Rani was not allowed to go to school and made to work for extra income. “They both scold me and beat me often. They make me work outside, at an internet centre, and they take away the money,” she said.
She also said that her mother violently thrashed her. “She beat me up with an iron object yesterday, saying I was not doing my job properly. Since there was nobody to help me, I went to the police station for help,” she said.
Meanwhile, an NGO Balala Hakkula Sangham president Achyuta Rao alleged that the cops were trying to compromise the case by counselling the mother of the girl. Activist Achyuth Rao said, “It is a cognizable offence. How can the cops just compromise the case?”