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Regular-article-logo Friday, 19 April 2024

Kashmiri student allegedly assaulted, called ‘terrorist’

In her police complaint, Noor Bhat alleged that her landlady barged into her flat and took away her furniture, Rs 20,000 in cash and other belongings

Imran Ahmed Siddiqui New Delhi Published 16.10.20, 03:44 AM
Noor Bhat

Noor Bhat Twitter/@noorbhat1998

A Kashmiri student was allegedly assaulted and called a “terrorist” in the presence of a cop by her landlady and was later framed in a theft case in south Delhi’s posh Lajpat Nagar locality on Wednesday night.

In her police complaint, Noor Bhat, who recently graduated from Amity University, alleged that the landlady had barged into her flat when she had gone to her cousin’s house and taken away her furniture, Rs 20,000 in cash and other belongings including her passport.

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Bhat, who hails from Srinagar, said she received a call from the landlady, Taruna Makhija, around 7.30pm asking her to return immediately

When Bhat returned an hour later, she was shocked to find the door had been broken open and many of her belonging missing. She started video recording the scene when Makhija, accompanied by a man, came in and began verbally abusing her. Bhat alleged that a police constable, called by Makhija, was present when the landlady threatened to burn her face with a cigarette.

“You are a terrorist, you spread terrorism. Your father is a terrorist,” Bhat quoted Makhija as telling her.

The landlady also allegedly grabbed Bhat by her shoulder and scratched and pulled her by the hair. Bhat tweeted a photo of scratch marks below her neck.

Late on Wednesday night, Bhat took to Twitter to narrate her predicament in a series of tweets.

“So my landlady enters my house along with a man that I have never seen in my whole life and starts to call me and my friends ‘TERRORISTS’ just because we are from KASHMIR, that too, in front of a police official. They trespassed, broke in and (took away) our money, furniture,” she wrote.

She said she was feeling scared and was staying with her cousin.

Responding to Bhat’s tweets, Delhi Commission for Women chairperson Swati Maliwal said: “This is shocking & shameful. DCW team is in touch. We’ll ensure action!”

The DCW on Thursday issued a notice to the police and sought an action-taken report and a copy of the FIR and asked whether any arrests had been made.

It also asked whether any police personnel were present during the assault and whether action had been taken against them.

Personnel at the local Amar Colony police station initially downplayed the incident, saying the landlady and the tenant had been locked in a dispute over the past few days over non-payment of dues. Bhat, however, said she had cleared all dues.

Later, an officer said: “Based on a written complaint given by the student, a case has been registered under IPC Section 448 (trespass), 380 (theft in dwelling house), 457 (lurking house-trespass), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) at Amar Colony police station and the matter is being investigated.”

He said the landlady had also registered a complaint and it was being looked into.

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