Torture and death of Nedumangad toddler: Child protection office staff dismissed, Kerala HC told

Kochi: The state govt on Wednesday informed high court that S Ratheesh, a case worker with the district child protection office, Thiruvananthapuram, has been terminated from service following the tragic death of a toddler in Nedumangad, Thiruvananthapuram, following weeks of horrific and systematic physical torture allegedly inflicted by his mother and her male partner.The women and child development department special secretary filed a report detailing the action taken pursuant to HC’s earlier direction in a suo motu case initiated on the basis of a communication from Justice Devan Ramachandran to the Chief Justice. The report stated that an internal inquiry found that Ratheesh had attended a call made by the child’s maternal grandmother on May 3 informing him about the assault.

However, he assumed that it was only a child custody issue and advised her to contact the child helpline. Realising about his lapse, Ratheesh was terminated from service on June 12 and a charge memo is also proposed to be issued to him.The deputy superintendent of police, Nedumangad, also filed a report in a sealed cover detailing the progress of the investigation. After perusing the report and the case diary, the bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice V M Syam Kumar observed that substantial progress had been made in the investigation.

HC then adjourned the matter to July 29 for further reports on the progress of the investigation and the action proposed against the former district child protection officer.The one-and-a-half-year-old child died on May 29 at the Govt Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, due to massive internal bleeding and trauma. The following day, the Nedumangad police arrested the child’s mother and her male partner in connection with the alleged abuse.

A clinical evaluation conducted by experts at the medical college hospital revealed more than 90 internal and external injuries across the child’s body at varying stages of healing.

The petition alleged that, despite clear and repeated clinical indicators of non-accidental trauma in an infant, the treating medical personnel and hospital authorities failed to identify, investigate, or report the suspicious injuries to the police or child protection authorities, as required under the relevant statutes.