12-yr-old Hindu domestic worker jumps from 6th floor in Pak

, Jan 19: A 12-year-old Hindu domestic worker jumped from the sixth floor of a building to save himself from his employer in

's southern port city of Karachi.

Harish Kumar, who was allegedly being interrogated by Dr Minhal and his wife who accused him of stealing money, jumped from the sixth floor of the building to save himself, police said today.

"Minhal is in police custody but claims that the boy slipped and fell from the first floor," police officer Imran Shaukat said. Harish from Mirpurkhas in interior Sindh was brought here from his village by Minhal to do house work on nominal salary.

The boy, who is under treatment at Jinnah hospital, says he did not steal any money. "They were always hitting and pushing him around as he has no relative in the city," said his friend Sawal, who also hails from Mirpurkhas.

Zia Awan, a human rights lawyer who runs an NGO, which is representing Harish in the case, said Minhal had committed a crime by keeping the boy in detention in the first place.

"There are many cases like this happening in Karachi. These servants are underpaid and not well looked after...We have been telling the police that employers must have their servants registered with the area police station so that we can keep tab on such persons," Awan said.

In a separate incident in Lahore, police have taken judicial remand of Dr Suleman Rafiq, who is accused of beating up his 18-year-old housemaid Fiza who died in hospital tonight after being admitted with serious injuries last week.

In this case also, the doctor and his family members accused Fiza of stealing valuables from their house. Farzana Bari, a well-known human and civil rights activist, said employers tended to be violent with their teenaged servants because most of them were brought from their villages and wanted to escape poverty and help their families.

PTI