Activist questions police's role in Navi Mumbai child beating case

Social activist Abha Singh on Friday questioned the role of the Police in the Navi Mumbai case, where a caretaker Afsana Sheikh was hitting and kicking the 10-month-old girl caught in a CCTV footage, while alleging that wrong application of the sections of the Indian Penal code was imposed to protect the owner of the creche.

"What is worse is the way the police have acted. It has put wrong sections on the owner of the creche and the worker and that is why the owner was given bail immediately. The police has booked her under 325 of the IPC and they have used Juvenile Justice Act of 2000, which is no longer in application," Singh said.

" It was repealed because as per the section put by the police, it was a bailable offence but now Juvenile justice act 2015 came into force in January 2016, Section 75 clearly says a child who is in the custody or supervision of a caretaker in an organisation if he assaults the child and beats the child then it is a cognizable offence with minimum three years of imprisonment to seven years, with a five lakh fine then why police did not put a section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act of 2015?," she added.

Echoing similar sentiments another social activist from Bengaluru Brinda Adige has urged the parents to be more vocal about their grievances and report to the police if they encounter any such incident.

"The parents have to report these incidences to police. Don't they know that India being a signatory to the Convention of Rights of Children. The Juvenile Justice Act 2015 is a very strong act and can implement sanctions which means cruelty to a child is punishable. This is something which the police should look seriously," she said.

"It is a lesson that has to be taught. Unless a lesson is taught via courts and procedures these institutions will continue to abuse their power," she added.

In a shocking incident at Kharghar in Navi Mumbai, a caretaker of Purva play school, assaulted a 10-month-old girl. CCTV footage obtained by the police shows caretaker Afsana Sheikh hitting, throwing and kicking the child. The child has sustained an injury on her head.

The incident reportedly took place on November 21 and the girl's mother reported the same to the police station on November 22. Taking cognizance of the complaint, the police inspected CCTV footage of the play school and detained the owner Priya Nikam and Shaikh in the case.

The play school was inaugurated five months ago and Sheikh was employed only a month back. When the incident took place around afternoon on November 21, Shaikh was the only authority present in the school.