A local CPM leader in Kerala has been arrested on Sunday for thrashing a nomad rag-picker girl. According to reports, C. Raghavan, who is a former president of Vattamkulam panchayat near Ponnani, had brutally thrashed the 10-year-old girl. Raghavan is a member of the CPM area committee. The girl has been admitted at the Medical College Hospital (MCH), Thrissur with serious injuries.
According to police sources, the incident took place when the victim along with few other girls were picking rags and scrap metal from a property owned by Raghavan. The girl told police that when Raghavan spotted them, he took her sack containing metal pieces and hit her with it. She suffered serious head injuries due to this assault.
After the incident, locals admitted the girl at the primary health centre at Edappal, from where she was referred to Thrissur for further treatment. A case has been registered against the CPM leader, but the charges are yet to be decided. Changaramkulam Inspector Manesh K.P. told media that police will decide on sections to be slapped against the accused after they receive the report from the hospital. “If it is grievous injury, we will be forced to slap non-bailable sections”, he said.
The girl belongs to a family from Andhra Pradesh who has been living in Edappal for last five years. The family earn a living selling metal scraps collected from roadsides.
Meanwhile, the state human rights commission has taken the case suo moto after it learnt about the incident from local news media. The commission has directed the Malappuram district police chief to submit the investigation report within three weeks. The human rights commission also directed the district collector to inform the steps taken to prevent such violent incidents towards children.