Ten-year-old Nishant (name changed), who was orphaned early, was adopted a few months ago by a couple here.
The boy probably imagined that his life would turn for the better, but that was not to be.
Members of the Child Welfare Committee rescued Nishant from a house at Kamashipalya on Friday, following a complaint by neighbours to the Child Helpline.
Ordeal
The rescue team found that Nishant was tortured brutally, and even his private parts had been burnt, allegedly by his adoptive parents.
“He was tortured so much that he even stopped talking because of the shock,” Child Welfare Committee member P.N. Basavaraj, who was part of the rescue team, told The Hindu.
Inquiries
Preliminary inquiries revealed that the couple — Gopal and Susheelamma — adopted Nishant from a government home for boys in Hassan, as they had no children.
While Gopal is a manager in a private firm, Susheelamma is a homemaker.
The torture started soon after Nishant came home and started living in their house, CWC members said. Neighbours, who used to hear the boy cry incessantly, informed the Child Helpline.
Rescue team
On Friday, a team of officials from the Child Helpline and the Children Welfare Committee went to the house and rescued the boy.
The child was later shifted to Balakara Bala Bhavan after medical treatment.
“We are yet to ascertain whether the adoption is legal or not,” Mr. Basavaraj said.
The jurisdictional Kamakshipalya police have taken up a case against the couple under the Juvenile Justice Act.
“We are waiting for the Child Welfare Committee’s decision on this issue, as they are the deciding authority in these matters, to take up further action against the couple,” said Narayana Gowda, inspector, Kamakshipalya police station.
‘Needs counselling’
Meanwhile, Superintendent of Balakara Bala Mandira Rajendra Prasad said the child was suffering from mental shock and needed counselling. More than physical injuries, he was suffering from mental harassment and he could not even narrate his ordeal to anyone, he added.
“We have kept him under medical care and monitoring his progress,” Mr. Prasad said.
