“My employer held me captive at home from April to December this year. She beat me up with sticks, slippers or anything she could lay her hands on. She used casteist slurs against me,” claimed 20-year-old Anita, a domestic help, who was allegedly dragged out of an elevator by her employer in a Noida high-rise.
The 40-second video of the incident surfaced online on Tuesday, 27 December, and an FIR was filed against Anita’s employer, Shephali Kaul, at Noida phase 3 police station.
On Wednesday, Kaul – who is an advocate and lives in Noida’s Cleo County – was arrested by police. The case has been registered under sections sections 344 (wrongful confinement), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), and 504 (provoking or insulting someone) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Vijay Gautam, SHO (Noida phase 3) told The Quint, “Relevant sections under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act will also be added in the FIR.”
DCP (Central) Ram Badan Singh told The Indian Express, “A medical examination of the victim was conducted, and it was found that she had sustained considerable wounds, on the ear and the throat, and some wounds were internal. Based on this, section 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) was added to the FIR.”
With a shawl wrapped around her, Anita stood at the Noida phase 3 police station with her parents, on Wednesday evening, and claimed to The Quint, “I began working at her house as a full-time help from April this year. For the first few days, she was good to me… After that, she started beating me up without any reason.”
After her father submitted a written complaint to the police on Wednesday, Anita was taken for a medical examination. A day later, she showed injury marks, allegedly due to Kaul’s beatings, on her hands, face, and ears.
“She would say that I wasn’t working properly… But how could I? I was injured most of the time,” alleged Anita.
‘Used Casteist Slurs for my Daughter”: Anita’s Mother
Anita’s mother Meera Devi, 40, alleged that her daughter confided in her that “Kaul used casteist slurs.” Devi claimed, “It was only because of our caste. We are Jadavs. She would abuse the whole family, including my youngest daughter. How can someone abuse an 11-year-old child?”
At the Noida phase 3 police station, Anita told The Quint that for majority duration of her time at Kaul’s house, she did not have a mobile phone.
“I could only speak to my family using the employer’s phone, in front of her, on loud speaker,” she alleged. Anita’s mother claimed, “If we wanted to speak to Anita, we had to call on her employer’s mobile number and every time we did that, she would say we should call only on Sundays as she’s a lawyer and busy working.”
Devi claimed that even then, they “barely got a few minutes to talk to Anita.”
‘Wouldn’t Let Her Meet Us,’ Claims Anita’s Family
Anita’s father, Padam Singh, who is the complainant in the FIR, alleged that Kaul did not let him meet her while she was employed there. He leveled allegations of his daughter being held captive at Kaul’s house.
Singh alleged,
It was probably in May when I went to meet my daughter as I had to give her some clothes. I waited in the lobby and after a while, my daughter came out only for a very short while. Her employer only let me see her from afar. I didn’t understand at the time what was going on.Padam Singh, Anita's father
In the complaint filed on 26 December, Singh wrote, "Today, I got to know that my daughter tried to get down from the house using a rope. But she did not do that, and called the police instead, who took her to the station."
“Was Only Paid for Two Months, Worked there for Eight Months”: Anita
Anita’s father had claimed that they had taken a loan of Rs 50,000 from Kaul for another daughter’s wedding. In turn, the family signed an agreement with Kaul that Anita would work round-the-clock for Rs 13,000 a month, of which Rs 3,000 would be deducted.
Singh claimed, "My daughter was paid only for two months and the remaining salary is still pending."
The purported written agreement, accessed by The Quint, stated that Anita had previously worked with Kaul for a year and four months, for 12 hours a day. It stated, “Anita and her father have decided that Anita will work as a 24 x 7 maid at her own will without any external pressure from anybody’s side.” It added, “During this six-month period, Padam Singh is free to meet his daughter Anita, provided that he must come during the day hours only and within the presence of Ms. Shefali Kaul only.”
Anita claimed to The Quint that this written agreement was valid only for six months -- till October. “I wanted to leave after that but I did not have an option. Whenever I tried to leave, she would beat me up,” alleged Anita.
The family claimed to The Indian Express that they had filed a complaint earlier to the district magistrate office, the DCP, and the office of the Commissioner of Police in September in September, but no action was taken at the time.
On the other hand, Kaul claimed to India Today on Tuesday, “There is a difference between pulling someone and beating someone. We had an agreement with the girl since 1 May. Her father has already been paid Rs 50,000. Then why did her parents file a complaint in July that their daughter is being held captive?”
She alleged, “She (Anita) disconnected my room’s CCTV camera on 25 December, stole jewelry, and hid it in a disposable tissue in the fridge, which she then threw out of the balcony.” Anita and her family denied the allegations made by Kaul.
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