In the past few weeks, Kerala has witnessed two incidents of assault on children which led to their deaths. A three-year-old in Aluva and seven-year-old in Thodupuzha were assaulted by close family members. Another incident of child abuse has come to light now in Kannur, where two siblings have been allegedly assaulted by an alcoholic father.
The siblings – a 12-year-old boy and his eight-year-old sister – were allegedly assaulted by their father at their house in Kannur on Thursday. The father, Rajesh, who had come home drunk, allegedly made both the kids drink toilet water and then threw the eight-year-old on to the floor and assaulted the boy, causing him to fracture a hand.
According to Valapattanam police, the mother was not at home when the incident happened. Neighbours who heard the cries of the children hurried to the house to find the kids being assaulted. They rushed the children to a nearby hospital.
Rajesh was arrested by the police following the incident. He was booked under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act (Punishment for cruelty to Child), Section 323 of the Indian Penal Code (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and Section 308 (Attempt to commit culpable homicide).
“It was sheer luck that the eight-year-old did not suffer any head injury. She just had some bruises; it was very likely that her head could have been injured in the attack. The father is an alcoholic and used to create trouble in the family often,” a police official at the Valapattanam station told TNM.
According to the Kannur Childline officials, the incident happened when the mother of the children was away for work. “On coming to know about it, we at once registered a complaint with the police,” a Childline official told TNM. The children are now under the care of their mother, added the official.
Rajesh was presented before the court on Friday and is presently under remand. According to reports, Rajesh, a fisherman by profession, was a constant troublemaker. Neighbours have reported that he used to come home drunk and assault his wife and children. Recently, Rajesh’s mother, fearing his assaults, had moved away from their home to another one.