Seven-Year-Old Girl Starved, Tortured And Beaten By Father And His Third Wife, Both Arrested

Odisha Couple Arrested: A couple has been arrested in Bhubaneswar, Odisha on charges of allegedly abusing and starving the man's 7-year-old daughter from a previous marriage.

According to Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissioner of Police Saumendra Priyadarshi, The man from Barahal village under Balipatna police station jurisdiction and his third wife were accused of attempting to murder the girl born from the man's second marriage. 

The seven-year-old girl reportedly weighs barely five kilograms. “The malnourished child has been admitted to Capital Hospital with several burn marks on her body. The child was physically abused every day. She was imprisoned and chained in the veranda of their house for days together,” stated the police commissioner.

According to the state police, the man married for the second time in 2013 after divorcing his first wife. The couple had a daughter in 2014. The second wife, however, fled with her child to her parents in 2014 after the man allegedly began tormenting her. 

"They Kicked And Beat Her Often"

The ex-wife stated that social activist Md Jamil Akhtar rescued the girl with the help of NGO Childline. Reportedly, the man got married for the third time. Childline officials stated that the man had forcibly taken custody of the child in March 2020 after separation from his second wife. 

The mother of the girl also alleged that her daughter was beaten with a broom and kicked multiple times. “Why did he (ex-husband) take her custody if he had to torture my daughter? They must be arrested and severely punished for subjecting the child to such torture,” she further added.

Childline director Benudhar Senapati claimed that the father and stepmother of the girl took out their frustration on her by tormenting her. “They used to beat her every day,” he said.

The man, on the other hand, disputed the torture charges and blamed his daughter's poor health on psychological and emotional stress. “While I was out, she inflicted the injuries on herself by dipping her fingers into hot milk,” he explained.

Couple Charged Under Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 Among Others

On the basis of the complaint registered by the girl’s mother, a case under sections 323, 324, 342 and 34 of IPC and section 75 of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act has been filed against the Odisha based couple. The Juvenile Justice act (2015) protects minors against torture, assault, and other heinous crimes subjected against them.