'Accused often inflicted injuries on private parts of children, people who complained about such incidents were isolated'; former caretaker makes revelations

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A former caretaker at the Child Welfare Committee has come up with more revelations regarding the physical torture of a two-and-a-half-year-old girl in the institution. A former staff member, who wished to remain anonymous, told a media outlet that the caretakers would regularly torture children who wet their beds and that it was a common practice for them to inflict injuries on the genitalia of the children.

She said that the caretakers who complained about such incidents were isolated and even after bringing the issue to the attention of the authorities, no action was taken. The accused in the case have done similar acts in the past as well. Even if they are temporarily removed, they will be reinstated after some time, said the former caretaker who worked in the institution till a few months back.

The caretakers brutally mistreated a two-and-a-half-year-old girl who had lost her parents and was under the care of the Child Welfare Committee. On November 24, Ajitha, the main accused, had revealed to her colleagues Maheshwari and Sindhu that she had punished the child who regularly wet the bed. Despite learning about the torture, Sindhu and Maheshwari, did not try to prevent it or report it to the authorities. They concealed the information for over a week. It was a new caretaker, who had taken over the weekly duty, who noticed the child screaming in pain while bathing.

It was this caretaker who informed the authorities about the injuries to the child's private parts. The child was then taken to the Thycaud Government Hospital last Saturday for treatment, with injuries to the back, hands, and private parts. The police registered a case and took further action following a complaint from the Child Welfare Committee authorities after the doctor informed them that the child had been brutally injured. The police recorded statements from 70 people in connection with the incident.

The accused confessed to the crime after being questioned by the police for several hours. It was also found that the same three accused had earlier faced disciplinary action for physically assaulting children. However, they were later reinstated due to their leftist political connections. The Museum Police had sought details from the Child Welfare Committee regarding this.