2 kids tortured by stepmother in Telangana village

Another case of child harassment has come to light in Telangana, where two minor kids were allegedly tortured by their stepmother.

The latest incident has been reported from Ghattu village of this district, where two kids – a boy and a girl aged 11 and five years, respectively, were allegedly harassed and tortured by their stepmother Sujatha over the last several months, police said.

Sujatha was initially affectionate towards the children, but her behaviour towards them changed when she got pregnant, they said.

The father of the children, Chinna Mallesh, married Sujatha nearly two years ago after his first wife Shenkaramma died due to illness. Sujatha would often beat the kids brutally, local Sub-Inspector Rambabu said.

The incident came to light a couple of days ago when a local anganwadi worker visited their home and found that the girl, who had stopped going to the child care centre, appeared ill and malnourished.

The boy had injuries on his arms, elbow and the girl a deep wound on her cheek, hands and legs, police said, quoting their sources in the village.

The girl was first taken to a Primary Health Centre and later admitted in a hospital in Gadwal town. The boy has been kept in a hostel, Rambabu said, adding police were probing the matter.

A fortnight ago, a 19-year-old girl was found to have been allegedly tortured by her father and stepmother.

The girl, Pratushya, was rescued by police and an NGO from her house in Fatelaguda near Hyderabad where she was kept in confinement and subjected to torture by her parents for the past few months.