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Trigger warning: Mentions of child abuse, physical violence, and torture.
A police custody interrogation has revealed the prolonged cruelty an 18-month-old toddler endured before his death in Thiruvananthapuram's Nedumangad. Ashkar, the live-in partner of the child's mother, repeatedly beat the infant, burned the soles of his feet, and denied him adequate medical care even after his arm was fractured, according to reports.
The child, Arshid, died on May 29. Two days later, the Nedumangad police arrested Ashkar (31) and his mother Akhila, after the post-mortem examination revealed extensive internal injuries.
According to Manorma News, Ashkar confessed to repeatedly beating the child and burning the soles of his feet and other body parts with a cigarette lighter to prevent him from walking, as the child was hyperactive.
The accused admitted that he waited 10 days to take the child to hospital for a fractured arm, allegedly caused after he fell from a cycle. He later decided to go to hospital only after the arms were swollen.
Ashkar also took the toddler on an overnight bus journey to Madurai while he was sick with a fever, without providing medical care. The child’s mother, Akhila, was working with a dance troupe in Madurai, and Ashkar transported the child from Nedumangad to Thiruvananthapuram by two-wheeler and then by overnight bus to Madurai.
Doctors had found 91 distinct injuries on the child's body, including seven fractured ribs. The case came to light when Ashkar took the child to a private hospital in Panavoor, claiming that he had choked while eating lunch.
Arshid was later shifted to the SAT Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. At the time of the incident, Akhila was reportedly in Tamil Nadu for a dance programme.
