The Mahila Police of Sachivayalam, along with the Patamata police, rescued a seven-year-old girl who was allegedly branded with a hot spoon by her ‘superstitious’ parents, from Patamata area in the city a few days ago.
Hearing the screams of the girl, the neighbours alerted the Andhra Pradesh Mahila Commission and the Sachivayalam staff concerned. The rescued girl was produced before the NTR District Child Welfare Committee (CWC), which referred her to a Child Care Institution (CCI).
Taking congnisance of the incident, the members of the Andhra Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (APSCPCR) visited the girl’s house and inquired about the issue.
“The parents branded the girl, a second standard student, with a hot spoon and beat her up with sticks. The CWC and the APSCPCR members also visited the school and inquired as to how the teachers failed to observe the wounds on the girl’s body,” said CWC Chairperson K. Suvartha.
Later, the CWC summoned the parents and questioned them. The girl’s father is working as an engineer in a government department and her mother is a graduate.
“Inquiry revealed that the girl has a twin brother. The family has a superstition that one of the twins would die. To protect the boy, the parents were allegedly torturing the girl,” Ms. Suvartha told The Hindu.
“Despite being educated, the parents believed in superstitions and tortured the girl. The girl is now in safe custody and her health condition is good,” she said.
The neighbours said that the family had twins earlier, but only one child survived.
“We shifted the girl to a CCI and ordered an inquiry by the District Probation Officer (DPO). The CWC has also lodged a complaint with the Patamata Police, directing it to register a case,” the CWC members said.
