Father booked for assaulting, inflicting burn injuries on 3 children over 18 months

A 40-year-old man has been booked for allegedly assaulting and inflicting burn injuries on his two daughters, aged 11 and nine, and seven-year-old son over the last 18 months, police said. The children, police said, have alleged that their father would brutally assault them with belts and sticks on flimsy pretexts, like bed-wetting or playing on mobile phone.

According to police, the accused, who runs a public toilet in central Mumbai, began assaulting his children after his wife left him one-and-a-half years ago allegedly due to constant physical and mental harassment, and married someone else.

The matter came to light last week when the elder daughter of the accused confided into her schoolteacher after her father allegedly hurled a phone at her and injured her eye, police said. “The Class 5 student had sought sick leave from her school after the incident. After she reported back to school on Friday, her teacher noticed an injury mark on her eye. When she enquired, the minor told the teacher that her father has been brutally assaulting her and her two younger siblings for the past 18 months,” a police officer said. The teacher then informed the school authorities, who contacted a local NGO and later the Dharavi police.

A case under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapon or means) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the IPC along with section 75 of Juvenile Justice Act was registered by the Dharavi police on Friday.

“We have recorded the statement of the three children in front of officials from the Child Welfare Commission and sent them for medical examination to Sion hospital. The report is awaited,” Senior Police Inspector Suresh Patil of Dharavi police station said.

In their statement, the children have reportedly said their father would look for a reason to assault them. “The three children were reportedly beaten brutally for playing with mobile phone or even in the playground. He would even inflict burn injuries on them for bed-wetting,” Patil said.

The three children have been sent to a children’s home in Matunga, police said.