Sex worker beaten up, strips to highlight police inaction

On Monday, however, after women from the area intervened, Shukrawar Peth police took her to Sassoon General Hospital for medical examination. “Once we get the medical report, an FIR will be lodged,” said Vijay Koli, PSI, Shukrawar Peth police. Initial findings of the medical report showed that Prema suffered extensive bruises on her stomach, eye, back and hands. According to the report, she had a broken ear drum and contusions on abdomen, lower torso, hands and back.

She alleged that the men attacked her after she asked one of them to return her money. “The incident occurred late on February 27 after I asked them to return my money. They beat me with a pressure cooker, steel rod and threw stones at me. I went to Faraskhana police chowki, but the cops did not register my complaint. The next day, I went to Mumbai for treatment,” she said.
She returned on March 1 and claimed to have approached the cops again.

“On March 2, I had so much pain in my stomach and the bruises were so dark and ugly that I could no longer bear that nobody was taking action. I took out my clothes and stood naked in front of the hotel,” she said.

Other commercial sex workers, who are members of a Community Learning Centre (CLC) that was set up by Pathfinder NGO, immediately called the police. The CLC members and consultants, who accompanied Prema to Sassoon hospital, said the police took her to Mother Teresa’s Home.

On Monday, the Sisters at the home told the cops to take her as she was not mentally unfit and that it was a home for the destitute. “We brought her back and took her to Sassoon hospital,” Koli said. Till late on Monday, Prema was undergoing medical tests, including CT scan and sonography.