One year on, no action yet in child bonded labour complaint against actor Mumtaj

CHENNAI: Nearly 14 months have passed by since siblings, aged 17 and 19 years, were rescued from actress Mumtaj’s residence in Chennai. But the police are yet to file a case against the actress to date.

A member of the Child Welfare Committee and an activist had filed a complaint with the police in addition to the report from the Revenue Divisional Officer suspecting trafficking. The report from the labour department also corroborated the RDO report.

“I have filed a complaint with the police, detailing the plight of the victims. I have also raised the issue on more than three occasions in review meetings chaired by the Collector. But there has been no response from the police to date. It is quite surprising why the police are not taking action despite there being strong evidence and the statement of the victims,” a member of the Child Welfare Committee (North zone) and an advocate N Lalitha told DT Next.

She filed a complaint with Anna Nagar AWP station and forwarded the same to the Commissioner of Police, Chennai, and the DGP.

Reports from the revenue and labour department regarding the rescue of the two girls aligned with her complaint that they were victims of bonded labour and trafficking, she said.

“The youngest of the siblings, then aged 17 years, told me that she was working as domestic help from the age of 13 years. She said that she was abused physically and verbally even for small mistakes. The actress chopped off the girls’ hair as punishment and never allowed them to step outside the house,” Lalithaa said recounting her meeting with the victim in a government home in Kellys last year.

It is learnt that the report submitted by Assistant Commissioner of Labour A Jayalakshmi confirmed it was a case of bonded labour. She urged the police to conduct a detailed probe as she suspected trafficking.

The issue came to light when passersby alerted the police on seeing a hapless young girl in Anna Nagar Park, crying for help, on May 10 last year. Following the alert, a police team attached to the All Women Police Station in Anna Nagar rushed to the spot and rescued the girl. The same night the police rescued the girl’s younger sister from Mumtaj’s custody. “They informed us that two of their siblings were working in the house of Mumtaj’s mother in Mumbai. They hail from Uttar Pradesh and her parents have taken money in advance to send them for work,” state coordinator of Bachpan Bachao Andolan Natharsha said. It was a non-bailable and cognizance offence,

A woman, who claimed herself as the mother of the girls, rushed to Chennai from Mumbai on a flight the next day accompanied by a man. During the inquiry, sources said that the woman didn’t have any valid documents to prove the girls were her daughters. “She just produced a letter, stating that it was from their village sarpanch (village head elected by the villagers). Without verifying with their counterparts in Uttar Pradesh and doing background checks on the woman’s claims, the girls were handed over to her,” said a source privy to the investigation and noted the woman reached Chennai by flight and wondered who sponsored her airfare. “We don’t know what happens to the girls now?” said the official with guilt in the face.

When contacted by DT Next, an official with Chennai police claimed that they are awaiting an inquiry report from the RDO (Revenue Divisional Officer) in connection with the incident and hence have not registered a case.