Hyderabad:
Six-year-old Nartana is in hospital, her tiny body the battered landscape of an array of injuries - burns thought to have been inflicted with a hot iron rod, cuts wielded by a blade, and bruises from flogging. She can barely speak. Doctors say it's not just her pain that's keeping her silent. She's also in shock.
Her assaulter is her mother - who is also a primary school teacher in Nellore in Andhra Pradesh.
The child was rescued by the police after neighbours complained that Nagachaitanya had kept her child confined in a dark room in her home for over four days, without food and water. Police believe Nagachaitanya tortured the child for more than a year.
The police, quoting locals, say Nagachaitanya had separated from her husband and was worried her daughter would reveal that her mother was having an affair.
Nagachaitanya says she was simply trying to discipline her daughter. Along with her alleged lover, she has been taken into police custody. Cases under the Girl Protection Act, as well as a case of torture have been registered against the couple.
The accused, the mother and her alleged paramour, have been sent to judicial custody for two weeks. The HRC has also intervened and asked for the mother and her alleged paramour to be presented before the committee on September 20.
The child's condition has apparently deteriorated, she is reportedly suffering from internal bleeding in the liver. She is being shifted to Chennai for treatment.
Psychologist Gowri Devi, who has studied the case, says that the mother does not seem to be mentally ill. Instead, her behavior suggests a personality disorder, where she wanted to harm her daughter as an act of vengeance or frustration.
Women and Child Welfare Director Usha Rani says the Child Welfare Committee in the district will decide who the little girl should stay with after her medical treatment has been completed.