**Cuttack**: The parents of the minor girl reached Cuttack from Delhi to meet their daughter and take her away with them, but in a strange twist of events the girl refused to go with her parents. She was heard saying that she is happy in the care institution as no one beats her and all shower love and affection on her. She had alleged that her parents also thrashed her.
Notably, this minor girl was seen brutally whipped by her own aunt in a video which went viral. The aunt is now arrested and behind bars.
“I want to take back my child as soon as possible. She herself had wanted to stay with my sister. So I had put up her with my sister and went away to work in Delhi. As a guardian, if my sister beat her sometimes, I don’t think it as something as grave as a crime. I want to return with my daughter as my son has his exam tomorrow,” informed Sanjeev Nayak, the child’s father with moist eyes.
But the child is more than happy in ‘Basundhara’ and doesn’t want to go anywhere with anyone.
“There is provision of the government for such children to be put up in shelter homes till they are 18, but the first preference will always be their own home for children. As the girl child has alleged that her parents also used to thrash and torture her, we would properly investigate the matter before handing the custody of the child to her parents,” informed Bikash Mohapatra, Chairman, Child Welfare Committee.
The mother tried to cajole her daughter but the daughter seemed to be disinterested in the mother.
“I will keep my daughter with me now and take good care of her. I didn’t know that her aunt would treat her in this manner,” she broke down.
But when she was asked about the punishment to be meted out to the aunt, she immediately retorted, “We will try release her also. It is a family affair and should be sorted out within the family.”
Even after their child being meted out such barbaric treatment by the aunt, the parents are ready to compromise as they do not think the aunt’s act as any crime.
It is worth mentioning that when the aunt was arrested, she had alleged that the parents of the child used to torture her more.
“To send the child with the parents is out of question. It is only if the child is comfortable to go with her parents, we can think of that option. Meanwhile, they can come and meet her but she will stay here in Basundhara,” informed Sujata Pattanayak, member, Child Welfare Committee.
