Gujarat: Woman brands stepdaughter, booked

RAJKOT: A 30-year-old woman living in Jamkhambhaliya was booked on Saturday for inflicting burns on her stepdaughter for eating food without asking her permission.
Chairman of Child Welfare Committee Chandrashekhar Budhbhatti lodged a complaint after a video of Rajul Bhogayata ill-treating her 10-year-old stepdaughter went viral.
According to police, Bhogayata had inflicted injuries with a heated iron pan on the girl’s legs. The girl’s grandmother had recorded the video of the ill-treatment and circulated it among her relatives to shame Bhogayata. The video was further circulated by one of the relatives.
When Budhbhatti too came across the video, he asked an official to conduct an investigation. During the preliminary investigation, it came to light that the girl had eaten some savouries for which she was punished. Later, the woman tried to strangulate her and also threatened to kill her. In the past too, the girl was beaten up by her stepmother and was not given food.
The girl’s grandmother was going to approach the police, but later Bhogayata promised that she would not harm the girl and a settlement was reached.
However, by then the video had become viral and the Child Welfare Committee had started its probe. Based on Budhbhatti’s complaint, Bhogayata was booked for assault, criminal intimidation and violation of Juvenile Justice Act at Jamkhambhaliya police station.