'Cruelty that no father would do'; more details come out regarding murder of one-year-old Ikhan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: More details have emerged in the murder of one-year-old Ikhan in Neyyattinkara, with the child’s mother, Krishnapriya, coming forward with serious allegations. The child’s father, Shijin of Kavalaakulam, was arrested by the Neyyattinkara police in connection with the case. Krishnapriya said the child was brutally tortured by his father, adding that the cruelty was beyond what any father would commit.

She said Shijin often threatened her, saying, “You will see only my face till the end,” as he had doubts about the child’s paternity. Krishnapriya alleged that Shijin did not allow her to stand nearby when he handled the child. She said he would brutally assault the baby and hand him over to her only after the child became weak.

Krishnapriya said that on the day of the incident, she was washing dishes in the kitchen in the morning when she heard Shijin getting angry with the child. Later, she heard him shouting the baby’s name. When she ran to the spot, she found the child lying unconscious.

The baby collapsed and died last Friday. Relatives had initially alleged that the child collapsed after eating a biscuit given by his father. However, the post-mortem report later revealed bruises on the child’s lower abdomen and fractures on his arm. The mother had earlier told the police that the fracture had occurred about a week earlier.

Further examination revealed that the fracture was about three weeks old. The post-mortem report also confirmed that the child had internal bleeding. After receiving the detailed post-mortem report, police questioned Shijin again, following which he confessed to the crime. Shijin reportedly told the police that the child’s crying at night disturbed him. The report confirmed that the internal bleeding was caused by injuries inflicted using the father’s elbow.

Shijin and Krishnapriya had been living separately for over three months before reuniting following the intervention of relatives. Shijin was not present at the time of the child’s birth. The couple began living together again when the child was six months old, during which period the child was allegedly subjected to repeated abuse.