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A 35-year-old attendant at a playschool in Maujpur has been arrested for allegedly abusing a three-year-old boy, police said on Sunday.
Police registered a case on Friday following a complaint filed by the child's father. Four persons have been named as accused in the case: the school's director, principal, a 30-year-old teacher, and the attendant. While the attendant remains in custody, the teacher has been asked to join the investigation. Police said they are also examining the roles of the director and principal in the matter. The family first noticed something was wrong when their son exhibited physical injuries alongside sudden behavioural changes. The child became terrified of using the washroom and cried frequently at night. They also noticed visible bruises on his face and arms. According to the father, Navneet Choudhary, the doctor detected severe swelling in both of the boy's ear canals and expressed suspicion that he had been hit. "Suddenly on the 18th, my son returned home from school, and right after coming home, he started vomiting. As he began vomiting, he felt dizzy. We immediately took him to a paediatrician, who told us, 'His eyes are swelling up significantly, take him to an ENT specialist.' I took him to an ENT doctor right away. As soon as the doctor examined him, he got very upset with me, asking, 'What has happened to him? Both of his eardrums are severely swollen and on the verge of rupturing; his condition is extremely critical.' Holding the prescription paper, he told me straight away, 'I am prescribing medication for two days, get a CBC and a CT scan done, or get him admitted.' I asked, 'Sir, what is the issue? What happened to him?' He told me that he was beaten continuously and his ears were targeted," father Navneet Choudhary told ANI. Following the medical examination, Choudhary, who works as a lawyer, demanded access to the school's CCTV footage. School staff initially cited technical issues. However, the next day, they demanded Rs 1,500 to show the video recordings. After the family paid the amount, they were shown the footage, which purportedly depicted the toddler being pulled by his ears, tied to a chair for hours, kicked, and repeatedly struck in the school. "On the 18th, around 9:40 or 9:45, he was tied up from behind near the apron and continuously tortured. He was repeatedly beaten--sometimes kicked, sometimes grabbed and pulled viciously by his ears. Both of his ears were yanked severely, and he was beaten very brutally," recounted Choudhary. Police have registered the case under relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the Juvenile Justice Act, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Further investigation into the matter is underway. (ANI)
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