A heartbreaking and horrifying story has emerged from Kerala after a one-and-a-half-year-old toddler died after weeks of brutal abuse.
The child was rushed to a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram on May 31 after he started coughing and vomiting blood. He lived with his mother and her live-in partner. Doctors declared his death.
Suspicions first arose when the child’s grandparents alleged that the child had been repeatedly abused by his mother and her partner. Based on their complaint, the police registered a case of unnatural death and arrested the two.
Doctors who examined the body noted several healed scars, indicating previous injuries. The body was then sent for post-mortem examination.
What was revealed after death?
The results shocked locals and investigators alike. According to police, an autopsy found 51 injuries on the child’s body, indicating that he had been subjected to weeks of severe physical abuse before his death.
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Investigators said a combination of fatal head injuries and severe internal trauma led to the child’s death.
“The child was subjected to very brutal physical abuse,” a senior police officer told PTI, citing information shared by doctors after the post-mortem examination.
The officer said: “There was a combination of serious internal injuries and a fatal head injury. Medical evidence indicates that the child was subjected to systematic physical attacks over a period of two to three weeks before his death.”
Among the most disturbing findings is the child’s broken arms. Police suspect that the child has become an obstacle to his mother and her partner’s life together.
The grandparents raised the alarm
The child’s grandparents were the first to allege that repeated torture at the hands of the mother and her live-in partner may have caused the child’s death.
The mother’s grandmother told a television channel that the child had numerous injuries throughout his body.
“He did not suffer any injuries when my daughter took him from my house,” the grandmother claimed while crying.
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She added: “After that, at the insistence of her partner, my daughter filed a complaint with DYSP alleging that I was interfering in their affairs.”
The child’s paternal and maternal grandparents claimed that there were circular burn marks on the child’s body, which appeared to be caused by cigarettes.
The maternal grandfather said: “There is no part of the child’s body that was not injured.”
New allegations against the resident partner
Meanwhile, new allegations have emerged against the beau from his first wife Amina’s family.
Her relatives accused him of subjecting her to prolonged physical abuse, claiming that the repeated assaults left her bedridden and unconscious for nearly a year. They also claimed that he is still legally married to her.
Sherif, Amina’s father, also raised questions about the death of his 15-year-old son Mohammed, who was found drowned two years ago, and demanded a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances of the accident.
Speaking to reporters, Sharif alleged that the accused repeatedly threatened and harassed the family members. He also claimed that complaints previously lodged against the accused did not trigger any action by the authorities.
The police are expected to request that the accused be detained again for further questioning as the investigation continues.
(with PTI inputs)
