The Indian couple from Andhra Pradesh, V. Chandrasekhar and Anupama, were sentenced to imprisonment for 20 months and 15 months respectively by the Oslo District Court on Tuesday on the charge of violating child rights and “maltreatment” of their seven-year-old son.
Sai Sriram had complained to his schoolteachers that his father, a software professional hailing from Hanuman Junction of Krishna district, had threatened to send him back to India if he did not stop bed-wetting and urinating in public places. The school brought the issue to the notice of the Child Welfare Service of Norway. Subsequently, the Oslo police registered a case against the couple.
Chandrasekhar and Anupama were arrested on appearance in court on November 28 after leaving their two children, aged 7 and 2, back in India.
'Burns found'
Kurt Lir, Head-Prosecution, Oslo Police Department, justified the arrest ahead of Tuesday’s conviction, terming the case “very serious.” He also pointed out that there were “burns and scars” on Sai Sriram’s body, apart from injuries caused by a belt.
As the news was conveyed to the family here on phone, most of them were overcome with disappointment, while the aged parents of Chandrasekhar and Anupama were in shock, as much as Sai Sriram. Being older than his sibling Abhiram, Sriram could understand that he may not see his mother and father for a long time. After the couple were arrested on November 28, Dr. Kalyan Chakravarthy, the child psychiatrist treating Sriram, submitted his report through the advocate for the couple, saying the boy was under treatment for “mild to moderate” Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder and prescribed methyl phenidate. He was put on a series of cognitive behaviour therapy sessions, to improve his behaviour, the doctor said with the cooperation and presence of the parents, directly or indirectly over the next 6 months. A PTI report quoted Indian officials in the Ministry of External Affairs as saying, "Our embassy in Norway has been in touch with the Indian nationals involved. Even during the course of their detention, the Consular Officer has been in touch with them and we will continue to render necessary consular assistance”.
