FIR lodged against couple for tying girl with iron chain for 3 months

Kumar Rajiv Nayan

Ara : A named FIR has been lodged with Bihia police station in Bhojpur district on June 15, 2018, against K P Kharwar and his wife Aarti Devi of Tipura locality under Bihia police station on for allegedly tying a teenage girl with iron chain and confining her to a room for three months after her father failed to repay his debt in time. Police are searching for the named accused but remain clueless about their whereabouts.

ASP Manjeet Kumar said that Anjali Kumari, daughter of Lamboo Kharwar of Tipura locality under Bihia police station, was sent to Ara Sadar Hospital under police cover for medical examination and has been kept at the Short Stay Home at Ara.

The ASP said that Lamboo Kharwar had borrowed Rs 15,000 from his neighbour K P Kharwar with a promise to return it but he failed to repay it in time. At this K P Kharwar kidnapped Lamboo’s teenage daughter Anjali Kumari and confined her to a room with her legs tied with iron chains. K P Kharwar and his wife Aarti Devi tortured and beat Anjali daily, forced her to do menial work the whole day, cut her hair five times in three months, and threatened to kill her younger brother if she dared escape, the ASP said. Lamboo and his family escaped from the village.

On June 13, 2018, night, finding no one at the house, Anjali slipped from the house and reached Bihia police station crawling as her legs were tied with iron chains. The ASP said that K P Kharwar had called a blacksmith Ram Bharan Sharma of the same village and got an iron chain made. Police have arrested Ram Bharan. The ASP also said that police got the iron chain cut to free Anjali Kumari.

Meanwhile, ‘Bachpan Bachao Andolan’ has taken serious note of the incident and its Bhojpur district president Venktesh Rai said that it is a case of child and bonded labour and the organization will take apprpriate action.