New Delhi: WhatsApp groups, direct messages, and social media platforms among Gurugram residents are currently abuzz with discussion over a single incident: a viral video purportedly showing a domestic worker being assaulted by a woman, who the police identified as 52-year-old Ruchira Sachdeva.
The incident took place inside one of Gurugram’s most luxurious residential complexes, DLF Camellias, on July 24.
The video has triggered widespread outrage across Gurugram’s luxury residential complexes, with residents scrutinising the police action and what followed. Many are now asking whether wealth and influence can help culprits escape the consequences of their actions.
“People with money, living in luxury homes, know that they can get away with anything. That’s why they have the audacity to do this. They probably believe that whatever happens inside their homes will never come out. Even if the domestic worker complained earlier, who would have listened to her? Who would have taken action on her behalf?” said a resident of DLF Phase 5, an ultra-luxurious gated community in Gurugram, on the condition of anonymity.
A team from the Sushant Lok police station took suo motu cognisance of the video and lodged an FIR against Ruchira Sachdeva on Monday, 10 August. She was arrested and later given bail. The case was registered under Sections 115 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 127(2) (wrongful confinement) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), a senior police officer earlier told ThePrint.
‘Sheer brutality on display’
“According to the preliminary investigation, the assault took place after an argument over work,” the police said.
The viral video, apparently recorded from a window overlooking what appears to be a kitchen, shows the alleged assault on the domestic worker. The 90-second footage was subsequently circulated widely on social media and WhatsApp groups, prompting the police to take action.
“Saw the video two days ago; it broke my heart. I was disappointed but not one bit surprised. The treatment of house workers in big cities is appalling. The basic need for safety, dignity and a safe workplace is a non-negotiable right of every human being. Sadly, all of it was compromised. Sheer brutality was on display in this case,” said Diwas, a resident of Sector 61, Gurugram.
The police identified the domestic worker as a Nepalese citizen and clarified that she was not a minor. Although, they have not specified her age. The police added that she left the job three days after the incident.
In the video, the domestic worker can initially be seen standing near a kitchen counter. After a few seconds, she appears to walk towards another part of the room, where Sachdeva is seen approaching her. She is then seen slapping and pushing the domestic worker several times and pulling her hair.
‘Not the first time’
The video has infuriated residents, with some even alleging that Sachdeva has been involved with similar incidents in the past.
“This shows that you can’t buy empathy and class with money. There could be another side to the story, but how could a grown-up woman raise her hand on another woman?” said a resident of DLF The Magnolias, a high-end residential society in Gurugram, requesting anonymity.
“This is not the first time we have heard about Sachdeva allegedly beating her house help. There have been discussions about such behaviour in residents’ WhatsApp groups and chats earlier as well,” the resident said.
The viral video also contains an accompanying audio recording in which an unidentified person claims that the incident was not the first instance of alleged mistreatment inside the house and that the domestic worker had been assaulted earlier as well.
“Iska phone bhi jabt kar liya gaya hai, isko kahin jaane nahi dete hain aur torture kiya jaata hai. Isliye main chahta hoon ki ye video viral ho jaaye aur logon ko pata chale ki kis tarah iske saath bartav kiya jaata hai (Her phone has also been confiscated. She is not allowed to go anywhere, and she has been tortured. That is why I want this video to go viral so that people know how she is being treated),” the voice in the video can be heard saying.
‘Unequal power distribution’
According to the police, Sachdeva is a homemaker and the wife of a Gurugram-based liquor businessman. She has since secured bail in the case, a development that has further fuelled discussions and outrage among some residents.
“These are just great idiots in society, harassing and assaulting people who work for them,” said a resident of Wellington Estate, DLF Phase 5, Gurugram, requesting anonymity. “She has committed a crime, but we cannot even talk about her and her family openly because they may come after us with a defamation case.”
Diwas alleged that there was an attempt to suppress the matter after the incident. “They swiftly sent her [the domestic worker] back to her home in Nepal. The rich cannot have the impunity to commit violence against the poor in such an unequal power situation. Our system needs to wake up and act,” he said.
(Edited by Aakriti Handa)