Jodhpur:
A three-year-old boy, badly battered and bruised, is battling for his life at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Jodhpur's Ummaid hospital. He has multiple fractures in his hand and legs, cigarette burns and human bite marks all over his body, and is suffering from malnutrition. His mother, who brought the boy to the hospital, claims he was tortured by his stepfather. The man has now been arrested and charged with attempt to murder.
The boy's mother Nidhi says her ordeal started with her marriage to Kailash Jain in 2001. "I tolerated his atrocities for four years but when it all became too much, I left his house and came back to my parental home in Jodhpur," she says.
After her split with Kailash, she tied the knot with another person in 2007. But unfortunately, even her second marriage did not last long. In 2010, she left her second husband with her son and returned to her parents.
About three months ago, Kailash reportedly lured Nidhi and convinced her to come back to him. "He promised that if I lived with him, he would give up alcohol," she said.
But he soon reverted to his old habits and cruel behaviour and started abusing his wife and her son from her second marriage.
"He started drinking again. He hated the boy particularly. He used to beat him mercilessly every day and would starve him. While doing this, he used to push me into a room and lock it from outside," said Nidhi.
On Wednesday, Nidhi added, Kailash bit the child and branded him with hot rods. "I somehow managed to flee with my son and rushed to my parents who took us to the hospital immediately," she added.
Doctors attending on the boy at the Jodhpur hospital say he is suffering from "battered baby syndrome" and malnutrition besides other serious injuries.
"The kid is in a state of absolute trauma and will take a long time to recover," paediatrician Pramod Sharma said.
Kailash Jain had been on the run since Wednesday. He runs a clinic in Vaishala village in Jalore district. He was arrested on Friday. "We have registered a case against him and arrested him from his village residence after recording the statements of his wife in Jodhpur," Jalore Superintendent of Police Rahuldan Bareth said.
A similar shocking case of two-year-old Baby Falak was reported from Delhi last month. Falak was admitted to a hospital in Delhi with severe bruises, head injuries and broken arms on January 18. Her head was badly smashed, and she too had bite marks all over her. She is still undergoing treatment and continues to be critical. (With PTI Inputs)