The Child Welfare Committee on Tuesday transferred the three children and their mother to its facility. (Representational Image)
A couple near Kochi in Kerala have been accused of not allowing their three minor children access to primary education and virtually putting them under house arrest for many years.
The issue was brought to the notice of the district authorities and the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) by neighbours and locals who reportedly have not seen the three children, aged 11, 9 and 6, out in the open. The couple’s home is in North Paravur, a suburb in Ernakulam district.
On orders of the district collector Mohammed Y Safirulla, the CWC on Tuesday transferred the three children and their mother to its facility. A hearing has been scheduled for Friday in front of the CWC board where the children’s statements would be recorded. After the hearing, a case, if required, will be filed against the parents.
The father of the children reportedly told local news channels that he was educating his children at home following an ‘Arab syllabus’ and that his children have ‘divine powers’ because of which they cannot be allowed to interact with outsiders. No police case has been taken against the couple presently.