Angul: In a gruesome incident, a 12-year-old boy was critically injured after being branded him with hot iron allegedly by his father for not going to school in Chhendipada area of Odisha’s Angul district.
The boy was reported to have been assaulted at the instigation of his stepmother. The incident was reported from Hatianali village of Balipata panchayat under the jurisdiction of Chhendipada police station of the district.
After getting information from the grandmother of the boy, a team from Childline services rescued him with the help of police.
According to sources, the boy was subjected to torture by his father Subhash Pradhan. Locals claimed that the boy was being tortured by his father and stepmother, Manjulata. Subash had got married to Manjulata after his first wife separated from him. The boy, born to his first wife, was allegedly subjected to torture and harassment by Manjulata.
She allegedly instigated Subash and told him that the boy was unwilling to go to school. Angry over this, the man tied the boy with a rope and beat him mercilessly. He also heated an iron rod and branded the boy four times before the child’s maternal grandmother intervened. She also informed Childline services and police.
Both Subhash and his second wife have been detained by police in connection with the incident. Further details are awaited.
