Raipur: A police constable in Chhattisgarh’s Balod district who allegedly tortured a two-year-old girl, including inflicting multiple burns on her, for refusing to call him “papa” was arrested and dismissed from service Saturday.
Accused Avinash Rai has been booked under IPC Section 323 for voluntarily causing hurt, among other sections.
Speaking to ThePrint, Balod Superintendent of Police Jitendra Singh Meena said Rai was arrested from a hotel in Bhilai Saturday afternoon, where he was hiding. He has been dismissed from service.
बालोद के सिवनी में एक पुलिसकर्मी द्वारा 2 साल की बच्ची के शरीर में सिगरेट दागने की घटना सामने आने पर डीजीपी @dmawasthi_IPS86 ने तत्काल कार्यवाही करते हुए आरोपी पुलिसकर्मी को सेवा से पृथक कर दिया है साथ ही आरोपी को गिरफ्तार कर लिया गया है।@bhupeshbaghel @tamradhwajsahu0 pic.twitter.com/fl9Da1YB4H
— Chhattisgarh Police (@CG_Police) October 31, 2020
Meena said Rai had been living as a tenant at the victim’s house while he was posted in Balod, from where he was transferred 20 days ago. The girl’s mother, Lakshmi Nandre, a folk singer, had borrowed money from Rai during the Covid lockdown, he added.
Came to victim’s home ‘drunk’
According to police, the incident took place Thursday night, when Rai came to the child’s house “drunk” to claim the loan money back. During the visit, he allegedly asked the girl to refer to him as “papa”, but her refusal to do so angered him.
“He took her to a room, abused her, and inflicted multiple burns on the child’s face, stomach, thighs, back, and hands (with a cigarette),” Meena said.
The girl’s mother, sources in police added, cried for help and tried to open the door. Sensing that he was in trouble, Rai opened the door and fled from the spot, the sources said.
The girl is in hospital and said to be doing “fine”.
At the time of the incident, Rai was missing from the Durg police lines, where he was transferred, Meena said.
Subscribe to our channels on YouTube & Telegram
Why news media is in crisis & How you can fix it
India needs free, fair, non-hyphenated and questioning journalism even more as it faces multiple crises.
But the news media is in a crisis of its own. There have been brutal layoffs and pay-cuts. The best of journalism is shrinking, yielding to crude prime-time spectacle.
ThePrint has the finest young reporters, columnists and editors working for it. Sustaining journalism of this quality needs smart and thinking people like you to pay for it. Whether you live in India or overseas, you can do it here.