11-yr-old brutally beaten up for stealing Rs 35

Nikhil Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, June 11

In a shocking development, an 11-year-old boy was allegedly brutally beaten up by a Kapurthala-based property dealer for reportedly stealing Rs 35 from his house.

The boy sustained serious injuries and is in a critical state, lying on a ventilator at a private hospital in Jalandhar.

Boy was earlier also taken to two private hospitals in Kapurthala but doctors there had referred them to Jalandhar due to his critical state.

The victim, Krishana, a native of Bihar, was beaten up by a house owner at Urban Estate in Kapurthala, where his father Sanjay Das is working as a watchman and mother Sangita Devi is a domestic help. They were living in a servant quarter in the house.

The victim’s mother Sangita said she had been working as a domestic help at Sumit’s house for the past one year. “On June 9 night at 9 pm while I was cleaning utensils in the house, Sumit told my son Krishana to feed ‘chapattis’ to their pet dog sitting in the room. While Krishana went into the room and fed the dog, he took Rs 35 lying in the room. When the house owner came to know about it, he badly abused my son,” Sangita added.

While Sumit was abusing her son, he also called him a ‘thief’. “Sumit then repeatedly slapped my son and brutally beat him up. I pleaded before the house owner to let him go, but he continued to thrash him in front of me,” the victim’s mother alleged.

Later, Sumit also stopped them from rushing to the hospital despite repeated pleas. Her son cried for the whole night due to severe injuries, but the owner didn’t budge. On Wednesday morning, when they were taking their son to hospital, Sumit brought his car and took the victim to hospital. Doctors, after giving him first aid, referred him to Jalandhar Chabbra Hospital, where he was put on a ventilator due to his serious condition.

Meanwhile, secretary, District Legal Services Authority, Jalandhar, Rana Kanwardeep Kaur, said after recording the statement of the victim’s family, the case was referred to the Police Commissioner, Jalandhar, for further action.

What house owner says

House owner Sumit, denying the allegations of brutally beating up the child, said he was hit by seizures

Police’s take

Kapurthala city SHO Ashwani said once the police records the statement of the victim and his family, further action would be taken accordingly.

Doctor’s take

Hospital doctor RPS Chabbra said when the boy was taken to the hospital, he was in a critical state. Although he was on ventilator, he was to regain health.