A 28-year-old woman has been booked under the Juvenile Justice Act after a video of her allegedly thrashing her 18-month-old child was brought to the notice of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW).
In the video that went viral on Tuesday, the woman, a resident of east Delhi’s Geeta Colony, is seen repeatedly hitting her son with a slipper, pushing him off a table and stamping over him in anger before a family member comes to the child’s rescue.
However, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Omvir Singh said their “field inquiry” had revealed that the woman was acting out of “frustration” because of the “ill-treatment” meted out to her by in-laws and husband.
“She reacted that way with her child because of the physical and mental abuse meted out to her by her in-laws. There has not been a single PCR call or a visit to a hospital before this in connection with the beating of the child,” the officer said.
Grandmother cries foul
The child’s grandmother, however, alleged that the woman would beat her child whenever she got angry. “If we try to stop her, she says she is free to do whatever she wants with her son. She also threatens to report us to the police and get us jailed on false charges,” said the grandmother.
According to the police, the video, which dates back to November 4, is of the many such videos recorded by the woman’s in-laws over a period of time.
In the video, the woman first appears to be soft towards her child, petting him from time to time even as she converses with someone. About a minute later, she indulges in the physical abuse.
On Monday, the accused woman’s sister-in-law approached the DCW with the video and sought action. After examining the case, DCW chief Swati Maliwal ordered the local police to file a case against the mother.
“The child was produced before the Child Welfare Committee and his custody was handed over to his aunt and grandmother,” said Ms. Maliwal.
The police, however, said their priority was on ensuring that the “family does not break” and that the “child stays with his mother”.
‘Counselling needed’
“We have to ensure that the mother and the child are not separated. The woman needs counselling, not separation from her son,” said the DCP.
The woman is a native of Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh. Her husband runs a bakery business.
The couple got married eight years ago, but had their own child only around 18 months ago. Around four years ago, the couple adopted a four-year-old girl.
“The adopted child continues to live with the family. Our probe has revealed that she is being treated well and has never complained of any physical abuse from the woman,” said the DCP.
