Three employees of a Government Children's Home here were arrested in connection with the complaint lodged by a 17-year-old inmate of the home , who alleged corporal punishment.
R. Ramesh (25), a sanitary worker at the Home, M. Jaishankar, (45) house master, and B. Ganapathy (34), assistant superintendent of the home, were arrested.
Inspector of South Police Station V. Mohandoss said the accused were produced in a court and remanded in judicial custody.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), the teenager was beaten up by the three employees to prevent his visit to another inmate’s room on December 22.
The boy, one of the 84 students staying at the home, suffered severe swelling in the hand.
Based on his complaint, the police registered cases against the accused under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 294 (B) (uttering obscene words in public place) of the Indian Penal Code read with Section 23 of Juvenile Justice Act 2006 (cruelty to child).
Meanwhile, E. Paulraj, superintendent of the home, said that the three were kept under suspension by him even before the police arrested them.
The victim told The Hindu on Wednesday that his father worked as a watchman in Kerala and his mother was a housemaid.
Showing his swollen hands, the boy, , who was studying standard X in Thanjavur, said he was assaulted and beaten up with sticks by the accused. “After I was beaten up I went along with other students and complained to the police,” he said.
N. Nadarajan, District Child Protection Officer, said he submitted a report to Collector N. Subbaiyan.
Non-bailable The Collector ordered immediate action as “this was a case of custodial physical abuse”. The children are in the custody of the home. Action was initiated against the accused under the non-bailable section of the Juvenile Justice Act, he said.
Reports have also been sent to Department of Social Defence, State Child Protection Society and Tamil Nadu Commission for Protection Child Rights, he added.
