Islamabad: In a shocking incident of violence against domestic helps, a minor Pakistani girl died after she was brutally beaten by her employers for inadvertently setting their pet parrots free while cleaning the cages.
The inhuman act has sparked an outrage across Pakistan with people, including politicians, on Wednesday demanding justice for the eight-year-old girl.
Zahra, who was a domestic help in a couple’s household in Rawalpindi, was brought to the city-based Begum Akhtar Rukhsana Memorial Hospital on Sunday in an injured state by her employer.
However, she soon succumbed to her injuries, police said. The couple was arrested the same day and remanded to police custody till June 6.
Officials from the Rawat police station said Zahra’s employer has admitted that he and his wife had beaten the child in a fit of rage after she inadvertently let their “expensive pet parrots escape from cage”.
According to the first information report (FIR) registered in the Rawat police station, the girl had injuries on her face, hands, below her rib cage and legs.
The FIR stated that she also had wounds on her thighs which suggested that she might have been sexually assaulted.
Police have sent samples for forensic examination to confirm if an assault took place and are yet to receive a report.
Zahra hailed from Punjab’s Kot Addu city and was employed by the couple four months ago to take care of their one-year-old child, police said.
When employing her, the couple had promised to provide her an education, the girl’s relatives said. (PTI)
