The Shivaji Nagar police, on March 8, randomly detained five children, including four girls, a boy and a 20-year-old woman, on allegations of theft and allegedly subjected them to physical and verbal abuse after a woman reported that her purse containing Rs 70,000 was stolen while she was walking home. Shockingly, the complainant, when she visited the police station, stated that she had not witnessed the children engaging in theft.
Minors detained, beaten up
The children, aged 11 to 15 years, were detained and questioned without the presence of their parents. They reported being hit with sticks and belts on their hands, backs and the soles of their feet till 11pm, to confess to the theft. One of the girls was forced by a policeman to show if she was hiding the money in her clothes. While the girls were released earlier, the 11-year-old boy remained in police custody overnight, allegedly enduring continued abuse.
Upon learning of this incident, a collective of NGOs (Child Safety Forum) intervened, and its members approached the police to transfer the children to Shatabdi Hospital in Govandi for medical examination. Members of the forum discovered physical injuries on the children’s bodies. The case was referred to the Child Welfare Committee, and the forum wrote a letter to the police and the committee regarding the matter, urging them to take action against the policemen concerned. Asserting that the police are pressuring and attempting to intimidate the parents, the forum has demanded protection for them.
Incident questions credibility of Mumbai police
As per the forum’s letter, an officer from the Shivaji Nagar police station arrived at Jai Ambe Nagar, Chheda Nagar, GMLR, Chembur, and randomly detained five children for questioning in a police vehicle. The parents arrived later at the police station. The forum alleged that the children were targeted as they belong to a scheduled tribe.
A member of the Child Safety Forum said, “This incident of brutality on children in a police station is very serious and disheartening. It raises serious questions on the credibility of the Mumbai police and their ability to deal with children from oppressed communities.”
Senior police inspector from Shivaji Nagar station Bapurao Deshmukh said that the Child Welfare Committee is looking into this matter and did not provide more details.
