Bhubaneswar: In a horrendous incident, a man branded his minor son with an iron rod causing severe burn injuries for not attending his classes in school. The incident was reported from Hatianali village within Balipata panchayat under Chhendipada in Odisha’s Angul district.
According to reports, the boy’s stepmother allegedly instigated his father to punish him for not going to school. The boy was later rescued by Childline workers with the help of the local police after his grandmother reached out to the voluntary organisation.
The minor boy was identified as Subash Pradhan’s son from his first marriage. After leaving his first wife, Subash married Manjulata. However, the second marriage disturbed the peace in the family and his son was often subjected to torture and harassment by his stepmother.
A few days back, when the boy was leaving for school in the morning, his stepmother asked him to remain at home. When Subash returned home, Manjulata instigated him and told him that the boy was unwilling to go to school.
Furious on hearing about the boy’s reluctance to go to school, Subash first tied the boy with a rope and beat him mercilessly. As this did not quench his anger, Subhash heated an iron rod and branded him four times.
Hearing the boy’s cries for help, his maternal grandmother rushed to the scene, intervened, and informed the Childline services and police about the brutal incident. The boy was rescued by the Childline workers and police after they reached the village.
The boy’s maternal grandfather alleged that Subhash had mercilessly beaten and branded the boy with iron rods several times in the past. “Police must take stringent action against my son-in-law. I want justice for my grandson,” she claimed.
Meanwhile, police said both Subash and Manjulata have been arrested and are being interrogated by the police. The minor will now be produced before the Child Welfare Committee and subsequently taken to Utkal Bala Ashram, police informed.
