Ten-year-old domestic in K'pong house dies

SNS, 4 February 2019, KALIMPONG: In yet another case of death that sent shockwaves in the district, a child who worked as a domestic at a house in Kalimpong has died under mysterious circumstances, it has come to light.

The 10-year-old child was brought to a Pradhan family at Chandraloke in Kalimpong from Chalsa (Matelli) in the Dooars to work as a domestic help, while she died at the Kalimpong district hospital on 28 January, and the body was "secretly" cremated at Teesta after the family called the child's parents. Though the Kalimpong District Hospital has stamped the death as 'natural,' child rights activists have sensed something amiss and have filed an FIR against the family with whom the child lived. It is also alleged that the child was tortured at the house.

"The child was not seen in the village for sometime, and the incident came to light when the curious villagers inquired about it," local sources said.

Bal Suraksha Abhiyan, an organization working for the welfare of children, said the child was tortured by the family, while she was kept there as a domestic, and that they got a phone call at their child helpline number '1098' on 26 January regarding the matter. 'When representatives of the organization visited their residence the next day, the house was locked. However, on 28 January the BSA representatives met Shradhanjali Pradhan who admitted that she had a child worked at her house, but that she was in Gangtok attending a wedding." sources said.

"The next day, we went there once again, but the house was locked, and we learnt from somewhere that the child was at the hospital and that she was admitted there on 28 January. But she had died there the same day. Shradhanjali hid the truth from us.  We then filed a complaint at the police station," said Sheela Giri, the Child Protection Officer of the BSA.

It is learnt from the villagers that the child was at DN Pradhan's residence at Chandraloke for about a year.

It may be noted here that after the end of 2018, Kalimpong has been witnessing a spate of murders and unnatural deaths shocking the entire district. The villagers to day demanded justice and proper investigations into the child's death.

One of the villagers later said that the Pradhans might have "settled the issue" at the hospital and with the child's parents, but they demanded that the family members have to sit with the village committee (Samaj) and talk about what exactly happened. Sources at the Pradhan family, meanwhile, claimed that the child was suffering from pneumonia and was taken to the hospital. The parents were later informed and they crermated the body near Teesta

The police, on the other hand, have assured thorough investigations into the matter.