Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday urged his Karnataka counterpart to ensure justice to a food delivery agent who was beaten up by occupants and security guards of an apartment in Bengaluru after an eight-year-old girl made a false complaint. The girl had alleged that she was dragged to the terrace by the delivery agent but footage obtained from a CCTV installed next to the apartment revealed her going to the terrace alone and playing there, reported Times of India.
“The acute harassment & trauma being faced by a delivery agent from Assam over fake charges, is extremely disturbing,” Sarma said in a tweet.
“I request the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Karnataka to kindly ensure that adequate protection and justice is delivered to the said individual,” he added.
What exactly happened?
The incident occurred on the morning of June 12 when a couple found their daughter missing from the flat after they returned seeing their five-year-old son off to school. One of the neighbours spotted the girl on the terrace after about 30 minutes of search. When asked about why she was there, the eight-year-old claimed that a food delivery agency rang the doorbell and dragged her to the terrace.
The security guards at the main entrance were alerted and asked not to let any delivery agent exit the gate. After the girl identified the food delivery agent, the residents and guards thrashed him and locked him up in a room meant for security personnel. As some other delivery agents protested near the main gate, a police patrol vehicle reached the incident spot.
The police collected CCTV footage from the seventh floor of the apartment, where the girl lived, but there was no security camera installed to cover the steps leading to the terrace. They later found a CCTV camera installed at a paying guest accommodation next to the apartment which showed the girl had walked to the terrace alone and played there for some time. She confessed to having made a false claim, saying she was scared that her parents would beat her up for playing during study hours.
The delivery agent refused to file a counter-complaint saying he would soon move back permanently to his home state Assam and cannot afford to regularly visit Bengaluru for legal formalities and court trials.
