In a shocking incident, a nine-year-old boy was severely beaten up and his hands twisted and broken by his stepfather for allegedly defying his direction not to go to school in coastal village Valiyathura in Thiruvananthapuram, police said.
Besides the boy, his 11-year-old sister was also beaten up by the man, Arun (30) alias Kannan, in an inebriated condition on Wednesday night, they said.
According to police, Arun had directed the siblings not to go school. As the children refused to pay heed to his order, he had brutally beaten up the children.
Both the hands of the boy were broken in the attack. He also suffered injuries on the face and eyes, they said. The girl also sustained minor injuries in the assault by Arun, who is absconding.
The boy has been admitted to a government medical college here. Sources with the hospital said his condition was stable.
"There are fractures in both of his hands. There are injuries on the face and eyes. But his health condition is stable now," a hospital release said.
The volunteers of Childline, an NGO, rescued the children and Valiyathura police registered a case against him based on the statement of their mother.
The case against him was registered under various sections of IPC including 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means)and under the Juvenile Justice Act (Care and Protection of Children), they said.