Delhi Police Held Rescued UP Teen for 7 Hours Amid Jurisdiction Dispute, Panel Says

A 15-year-old girl who ran away from her home in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, faced nearly seven hours of distress and trauma in Delhi as police officers allegedly disputed jurisdiction over her case after her rescue. The Delhi Child Welfare Committee (CWC) has taken a serious view of the incident, issuing show-cause notices to station house officers (SHOs) of Kashmere Gate and Kashmere Gate Metro police stations, and the in-charge of the ISBT police post.

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Due to this jurisdictional dispute, the child was kept waiting unnecessarily till midnight.

The girl left her home on August 9 and reached Old Delhi Railway Station that night. She was later approached by an unidentified man on August 11 near Kashmere Gate, who allegedly tried to lure her with a job offer. A passerby, Raja, intervened, rescued her, and handed her over to the Child Helpline booth at Kashmere Gate around 4:30 p.m. The helpline contacted authorities, but police personnel from multiple stations arrived and allegedly began shifting responsibility for the child.

"Due to this jurisdictional dispute, the child was kept waiting unnecessarily till midnight," the CWC stated in an order dated August 12. Officials indicated she was eventually taken to an observation home around 2:30 a.m. on August 12. The CWC also noted alleged inappropriate and disrespectful behavior by the in-charge of the ISBT police post toward Child Helpline staff, including threats and remarks that left them feeling "embarrassed and humiliated."

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inappropriate and disrespectful manner

The CWC has directed the three officers to appear before the committee on August 19 with written explanations and action taken reports. The deputy commissioners of police for the north and metro regions, along with the three officers, did not respond to requests for comment from Hindustan Times.

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embarrassed and humiliated