Couple booked for branding, torturing 8-year-old nephew in Odisha’s Cuttack

Priya Ranjan Swain Published On : Oct 8, 2022 at 6:59 PM Updated On : Oct 8, 2022 at 6:59 PM

Cuttack: An eight-year-old boy was reportedly tortured by his paternal uncle and aunt in Markat Nagar area of the Silver City here.

The victim’s maternal grandfather and grandmother lodged a complaint in this regard with Markat Nagar police today.

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“My aunt and her sister were torturing me for last several days. My aunt branded me with a cooking spoon. My uncle used to force me to kneel down on the floor,” said the victim, a Class-III student.

The police have registered a case against the boy’s uncle and aunt under Sections 323,324, 506 and 34 of the IPC and Section 24 of the Juvenile Justice Act.

“The victim has been sent for a medical examination. He would be produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) soon,” said a police officer.

As per the complaint, the boy’s mother had died around four years ago. His father opted for a second marriage.

The boy had been staying with his maternal grandfather and grandmother since his mother’s death. His uncle and aunt had brought him to their rented accommodation in Cuttack in March this year.

“Our deceased daughter’s in-laws brought our grandson to Cuttack to provide him better education. But, his uncle and aunt were torturing him regularly. His uncle used to hit him with a belt. We came to know about all this when our grandson visited our house during Dussehra vacation,” said the boy’s maternal grandmother Baijayanti Rout.

The boy’s grandfather, meanwhile, revealed that the eight-year-old is refusing to stay with his uncle and aunt. “Our grandson’s uncle, aunt and other members of their family were torturing him regularly. Our grandson has threatened to kill himself if he is forced to stay with his uncle and aunt. We want to keep our grandson with us,” said Madan Mohan Rout, the victim’s grandfather.

The victim’s aunt, however, rejected the allegations. “We have brought the boy to Cuttack to give him better education. We have never tortured him. We have tried our best to bring him up in a proper way. We always consider him as our own child,” said Payal, the victim’s aunt, a faculty member in Ashwini School of Nursing.