Norway prosecutors seek over a year's jail for arrested Indian couple

New Delhi: An Indian couple arrested in Norway for alleged abuse of their seven-year-old son faces a grim future. They have been charged with "gross repeated maltreatment" of their child for which the prosecution has proposed a minimum sentence of one year and three months for the parents.

The judge is expected to deliver the judgement on Chandrashekar Vallabhaneni and his wife Anupama on Monday. The couple from Andhra Pradesh was arrested on November 26.

According to a statement by Oslo Police Department, the couple have been remanded in custody, as there is reason to fear that they will evade prosecution by returning to India.

Anupama's father has appealed to the Indian government to intervene. In a letter to the government, he said the couple's children were crying , not eating and insisting on seeing their parents. (Read letter)

The Indian government has assured all help. Official sources said an officer from the Indian embassy in Norway met Mr Chandrashekar yesterday evening and asked about his welfare.

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Mr Chandrasekhar works with software giant TCS, which deputed him to Oslo 18 months ago to handle a project. He took his wife and two sons with him. His older son, Sai Sriram, allegedly told his teachers that his parents had reprimanded him harshly for wetting his pants and threatened to send him back to India.

In Hyderabad, Mr Chandrasekhar's family said child welfare authorities took Sai Sriram away for a month, but returned him to his parents after medical tests established he had minor behavioural problems.

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The family returned home in July. But this month, Mr Chandrasekhar returned to Norway for work and was issued court summons, after which he was arrested along with Anupama, who had travelled to attend the court hearing with him.

Mr Chandrasekhar's mother and sister say they were informed by a colleague of his arrest. The Norwegian authorities have not contacted them nor elaborated on the charges against the couple, they allege.

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A few months ago, another Indian couple in Norway - Anurup and Sagarika Bhattacharya - were involved in a prolonged custody battle with Norwegian authorities after their two children were taken away by child welfare services in May last year.

(With PTI inputs)