Telangana

Family questions police investigation into TRS leader role in domestic worker death

The brother of the domestic help who was found dead at TRS leaders house in Hyderabad says she was a minor.
The family alleges that the young woman was not an adult and that Madhu should be tried under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).
The family alleges that the young woman was not an adult and that Madhu should be tried under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).
Written by:
Mithun MK

The family of the domestic help who allegedly killed herself in the bedroom of Madhu Yadav, a Hyderabad-based Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader, has raised questions over the circumstances surrounding her death. Both the family and the Opposition have raised suspicions on the way in which the Moinabad police handled the investigation and the silence from the TRS in condemning the alleged rape and subsequent death.

In the FIR registered at the Moinabad police station, the age of the deceased woman, Nasreen* is mentioned as 18, as mentioned in her Aadhaar card.

But the family alleges that the young woman was not an adult and that Madhu should be tried under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO). According to them, the TRS leader changed her age on identity cards after he hired her.

Nasreen’s elder brother, Salman, told TNM, “She is only 17, we don’t know the exact year of her birth but she is not a major,”. Nasreen’s brother said that Madhu Yadav took all the documents pertaining to both his sisters, claiming he would get the age ‘fixed’ to show them as adults.

“He took the documents two years ago,” Salman added. Both the girls were working at Madhu Yadav’s residence in Himayath Nagar for the past five years. “The documents may show she is a major, but is actually a minor,” said the brother.

On September 24, the 14-year-old younger sister, Ayesha*, saw her sister weeping at 10 am. When she asked Nasreen why she was weeping, she did not get an explanation, says the FIR. The FIR states that both the sisters were being harassed for the past four days by Madhu Yadav in an inebriated state. That day, Madhu Yadav came looking for Nasreen at 10 pm and took her to the second floor of the building. At 4 am on September 25, Ayesha found her sister dead inside Madhu Yadav’s room and the police arrived on the scene at 5 am.

Speaking to Congress leaders in a video, Ayesha said that on the night of September 24, Madhu Yadav said he had some work with her sister, Nasreen. "Nothing to do with you. You go to sleep," is what Madhu Yadav said, recalled Ayesha who later found her sister dead and filed a police complaint, "He used to take her and go like that from time to time .And he used to threaten us against telling anyone," she added.

When Salman asked the police why his sister was shown as a major in the FIR, the police reportedly told him, “there is no problem with it”. The brother alleged that Ayesha was threatened not to reveal any details about the incident to the police before they arrived that night. “My sister was raped for close to a year,” alleged Salman.

The Moinabad police initially booked a case under Sections 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 306 (Abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Section 376 for rape was added after the preliminary post mortem report was issued. After several protests across the state, Home Minister Mahmood Ali got involved. The Minister assured the strictest of punishments for the accused, but also claimed that Madhu Yadav was not associated with the TRS party. The Cyberabad police later added Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act for cruelty to children.

“The police told us that she used a bucket to keep on the bed to reach the ceiling. But the girl is short and the ceiling is huge, it’s close to 6 feet approximately,” said Nasreen’s cousin, Mohammad Rafeeq. “ There is no way she could have reached the ceiling by herself just by placing a bucket on the bed. The village sarpanch or the tehsildar should have been called to record the death, but they shifted the body without informing anyone,” he alleged.

Speaking to TNM, Cyberabad police Commissioner Sajjanar said that the girl was a major according to documents, but they will probe further. “The girl was major based on documents provided. We invoked the JJ Act as both the sisters were employed by the accused for four years even when they were minors. With respect to the age, of the girl, on if she is a minor or major we will investigate into this,”

The family alleged that Madhu Yadav is forcing Cyberabad police to build a narrative that Nasreen killed herself as she was being forced by her father to marry a person with a disability. “Madhu Yadav told the Shamshabad DCP (who then told us) that we were planning to get her married and that she was a major,” said Rafeeq. The family lamented that no one from the ruling TRS has taken an interest in the case.

Leaders from several political parties, the Congress, AIMIM and MBT, visited the family to offer support. Former Chevella MP Konda Vishveshwar Reddy called the incident a clear case of child labour and murder. He also alleged an attempt to cover-up. “They immediately deleted the Facebook page of TRS Madhu with pictures of him in TRS Khandwa with TRS leaders. Officials took away her Aadhar card age proof. Attempt to show her as a major, ” he tweeted.

Amjed Ullah Khan, spokesperson for MBT party, questioned why the POCSO Act had not been applied to the case yet, despite provisions of the JJ Act being applied.

“The police have booked only one person. They have not even checked if there are any accomplices. They are not investigating properly,” he said. “In the Disha murder case, everyone visited the family and consoled them but here, no one from the TRS party has even made a comment condemning the incident.” Khan said there are several photographs of Madhu Yadav on stage with many TRS leaders and that there is also a picture of him with the Home Minister himself, then how is he not part of the TRS?” asked Khan.

Speaking to TNM, Cyberabad police Commissioner Sajjanar said that the girl was a major according to documents, but they will probe further. “The girl was major based on documents provided. We invoked the JJ Act as both the sisters were employed by the accused for four years even when they were minors. With respect to the age, of the girl, on if she is a minor or major we will investigate into this,”

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