A 23-year-old Kuki woman from Manipur has alleged that she was beaten, confined, and repeatedly denied access to her phone while working as a live-in domestic worker at the residence of an IIM Bengaluru professor and his wife. The survivor, Nidhi (name changed), told TNM that the harassment had been ongoing for years but escalated on May 4, when she was allegedly locked inside the house and prevented from contacting her family despite experiencing severe kidney stone pain.
Nidhi filed a complaint at the Mico Layout Police Station on May 6. The accused named in the FIR are Prof. Amar Sapra, a faculty member in IIMB’s Department of Production and Operations Management, and his wife Anshu Sapra, an educator who also runs a nursery franchise on the campus.
Nidhi first came to Bengaluru in 2019 and began working for the family, taking care of household chores and the couple’s children. “In the beginning it was okay,” she said. “After two or three years, she (Anshu Sapra) started hitting me.”
On May 4, Nidhi said she developed intense pain due to kidney stones. When she informed Anshu, she alleged she was accused of “acting” and “doing drama.” At the time, she was on the phone with her mother. “Anshu took my phone,” Nidhi recalled. “My cousin called, and I asked her to speak to madam. I don’t know what they talked about. After that Anshu kept accusing me of lying.”
Despite struggling to walk due to the pain, Nidhi said she was repeatedly summoned and questioned about what she had spoken to her cousin. Anshu then took her phone away for the entire night. Even as her pain worsened that night, Nidhi said she was unable to reach anyone for help because she did not have her phone with her.
The next morning, May 5, Anshu allegedly seized the phone once more and did not return it for the rest of the day. Eventually, Nidhi approached a neighbour on campus for help.
The neighbour, also an IIMB faculty member, gave her food, a place to rest, and a phone to contact her family. He also reportedly alerted IIMB authorities.
With assistance from the Kuki Students’ Organisation Bengaluru (KSOB) and a Manipuri government official posted in Karnataka, Nidhi filed the police complaint on May 6.
According to the FIR, Anshu had allegedly assaulted her on April 15 around 2.30 am, pulling her hair and hitting her multiple times. “Anshu physically assaulted me. She used to pull my hair and hit me several times. I never told anyone out of fear,” Nidhi said in the complaint.
The FIR has been registered under Section 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt) and Section 127(2) (wrongful confinement) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Seilalmuon Haokip, president of KSOB, told TNM that they initially faced difficulty in getting the FIR registered and are still awaiting clarity from the police on further action. After a follow-up visit to the Mico Layout Police Station on May 10, officers informed them that they would visit the professor’s residence as part of the investigation. “They said they will serve a notice, and if the accused do not cooperate, they will proceed as per law,” he said.
Nidhi is currently staying with her cousin in Bengaluru and has booked a ticket for May 13 to return home. She says she hopes for accountability and justice before she leaves the city.
