A 14 year old girl with burn marks by a hot knife on her face was rescued from a Retired Powercom Superintendent's house in Gurdev Nagar, Ludhiana. The girl's face was burnt by a hot knife. According to reports, the girl also had to scavenge food from the dustbin when hungry. A video of this has also gone viral. The owner of the house where the girl was confined is a retired Powercom Superintendent identified as Harmeet Kaur. At the girl's behest, Manukhta Di Seva Society, with the help of child-protection officers, freed her from the house in Gurdev Nagar.
During counselling, the girl informed that she used to get only 2 chapattis for food in the entire day. Whenever she felt too hungry to endure, she would be forced to pick up food from the dustbin and eat it. If she ever drank milk when she felt hungry, searing hot knives would be used to scar her face. The girl was made to sleep outside the bathroom when it was cold. When the girl was rescued, her face was found in badly burnt condition.
According to information received, retired superintendent of Powercom, Harmeet Kaur runs the PG at her home. Balbir Kaur, who informed the NGO about the issue, used to live in the same PG until 4 months ago. NGO head Gurpreet Singh was informed about the assault and abuse on the girl. According to Balbir Kaur, she would frequently ask the PG owner to relent and not beat the child, but the woman would silence her claiming it as a domestic issue. Seeing the atrocities on the girl, Balbir Kaur had to leave the PG.
NGO head Gurpreet Singh informs that he had received a video of the girl eating food from the garbage once before in the month of June. Unfortunately, the exact location could not be discerned and was not clear at the time. This time, Balbir Kaur, who lived in the PG in Gurdev Nagar, informed him that some people have kept a girl captive in the house, allowing them to take action.
The girl has been a victim of abuse for the last 2 years. Her mother Pooja had died and her father left her in a cottage in Gurdev Nagar two years ago. The father himself remarried while his daughter had to eat two chapattis and was forced to work for the whole day. Balbir Kaur shared a video of the atrocities on the minor with the NGO.
After this, the NGO along with the administrative officials, while following the restrictions of the law, rescued the girl from that atrocious house. The girl's face was badly burnt at the time of rescue. Reportedly shee was not even given warm clothes for the cold. At present the girl is staying a home for children. Medical tests was performed for reassurance regarding her health.
The girl informed that she was forced to wash clothes and utensils and to clean the house. She was left in the kitchen to clean utensils for the whole day. The food given by the abuser at most consisted of only two chapatis. Harmeet Kaur would wake her up at night as late as 2 o'clock and beat her. Harmeet Kaur's daughter and son would also indulge and mercilessly abuse her. She says that she was picked up and thrown around into the walls.
SHO Neeraj Chaudhary of Police Station Division No. 5 said that an FIR has been registered against the woman Harmeet Kaur. In the coming days, in collaboration with Child Welfare, other regions in the area will also be checked to see if anyone else is found suffering in a similar situation.