Child worker tied up and beaten for Rs 100 theft: Police

Child rights activist Tarun Acharya of Prerna Sewa Sansthan said his NGO sent a fact-finding team to the site where the incident had allegedly taken place. He said they had also written to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights on Tuesday.

“We went to the coal warehouse where the minor worked. He had allegedly been caught stealing from the shop. His employer tied the boy up and beat him while others watched,” Acharya said.

City superintendent of police, Shiv Hari Meena, confirmed that the police were investigating the matter. “There is no official complaint yet, but if no one comes forward, we will lodge a complaint. We are taking the matter very seriously.”

Acharya said his team will visit the site again on Wednesday to try and trace the boy. “It is possible that he’s still working there. We will also be meeting with senior police officers and the Ghaziabad child welfare commission on Wednesday and share the results of our investigation,” he said.

The photojournalist who had clicked the photo said he was passing by the area when he saw the child tied to a pole and a group of shopkeepers watching him. The group of onlookers didn’t intervene. “I found him tied up. When I asked why, the people nearby said he had stolen coal worth Rs 100.

I clicked a photograph of him but they closed the shutters and drove me off when I tried to stop them,” he told Newsline.

A senior police officer said the investigation into the case rests on tracing the boy. “We need to trace him and record his testimony for his safety. We will also be interviewing the people who were in the area.”

The police are also checking the veracity of the photograph. “Since the photograph is the only evidence of the alleged crime, it’s important to make sure that it isn’t a fake. We’ll speak to the photographer,” the officer said.