A husband and wife in Gurgaon near Delhi were sacked by their respective employers after they were arrested on February 8 for allegedly torturing and sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl who worked for them as a domestic help.
The accused, Manish Khattar and his wife Kamaljeet Kaur were produced before a city court the same day. The court sent Khattar to two-day police remand while his wife was sent to judicial custody.
Khattar, 36, was a deputy manager at Max Life Insurance in Gurgaon since April 2021, according to his LinkedIn profile.
“Max Life believes in upholding high level of ethical and moral conduct at all times. We have severed the employment of the individual with immediate effect,” Max Life Insurance tweeted in response to a tweet by journalist Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj.
Max Life believes in upholding high level of ethical and moral conduct at all times. We have severed the employment of the individual with immediate effect.— Max Life Insurance (@MaxLifeIns) February 8, 2023
Similarly, Kamaljeet Kaur, a 34-year-old public relations professional, too was sacked by her employer.
“We are shocked to learn about the human rights and child abuse allegations against Kamaljeet Kaur. As an organisation, we respect the Indian legal system and are strictly against any form of human rights abuse. The company has terminated her services with immediate effect,” public relations agency Media Mantra tweeted.
We are shocked to learn about the human rights and child abuse allegations against Kamaljeet Kaur. As an organization, we respect the Indian legal system and are strictly against any form of human rights abuse. The company has terminated her services with immediate effect.— Media Mantra (@mediamantrapr) February 8, 2023
The minor girl, who is from Jharkhand’s Ranchi, was hired by the couple five months through an agency to care for their 3.5-year-old daughter. A joint team of police and Sakhi, a one-stop crisis centre, on February 7 rescued the girl. Several injuries were found on her hands, feet and mouth, they said.
The couple allegedly made her work and also beat her mercilessly daily. Along with not letting her sleep the whole night, they also didn't give her any food, according to the complaint filed by Pinky Malik, the crisis centre in-charge. Her mouth was completely swollen while injury marks were found everywhere on her body, Malik alleged.
Both the husband and the wife used to beat her daily, according to the complaint. She was also sexually harassed, the police said. The child used to eat leftover food thrown in the dustbin after not being given food.
The girl was admitted to a hospital in critical condition.
A case has been registered against the couple under various sections of the law, including causing hurt, wrongful confinement, relevant sections of the Juvenile Justice Act and the POCSO Act.
(With inputs from PTI)
