Underage domestic servant rescued
[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Rajendran Maharaji (14), an underage girl working as a domestic in a house on Central Road in Batticaloa town and allegedly assaulted by her mistress, was produced on Monday before K. Thatchanamoorthy, Additional District Judge, Batticaloa, who ordered that Maharaji be kept in safe custody until she was claimed by her parents, said sources in Batticaloa.
Maharaji s problem had come to light through a quirk of fate. Her master, allegedly a drunkard, who had seen TV advertisements displaying a contact number for people to phone in if they knew of children in trouble, had done so hoping that someone would come and remove the child. Little did he know that it was a hot-line kept open by Police Headquarters for helping children in trouble. Police HQ informed the Batticaloa police which swooped down on the house this morning to pick up the unfortunate young girl and arrest the mistress of the house. The master was not at home when the arrest took place. Maharaji was then produced in court where Mr. Thatchanamoorthy had a Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) examine the girl. The JMO ruled that the girl had not been raped, but bore traces of being severely beaten. Eye witnesses said that though Maharaji's mistress claimed the girl was 14, she looked around 11 years old. Following the examination by the JMO, the District Judge ordered that Maharaji be lodged at the Sri Saradha Home of the Ramakrishna Mission, till her parents are contacted. Maharaji is a Tamil of recent Indian origin. While Maharaji s mistress is in police custody to be produced in court on Tuesday, her master is still at large, said sources.
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