11 August,2015 06:55 AM IST | | Shiva Devnath
Kabir Singh was regularly beaten at Panchgani's Aaradhya International Hostel by owners, for trivial reasons; the torture got worse when he urinated in bed -- they locked him in the bathroom for an entire night
Entrusted to the care of a couple running a hostel, a six-year-old boy was instead brutally thrashed by them and then locked in the bathroom for a whole night, all in punishment for peeing in bed.
Also read: School girl made to drink urine for bedwetting by warden in West Bengal hostel
His sister had admitted him to the Panchgani hostel thinking he would get a good education there, but was horrified to discover the treatment being meted out to him. She has since filed an FIR against the couple running the hostel and has brought her brother home to Mumbai.
Kabir Singh (6) hails from Gwalior, but his sister Neetu (25) resides in Chembur. While she is the second of seven siblings, Kabir is the youngest. She brought him to Mumbai for schooling, and then decided to enrol him at the Aaradhya International Hostel in Panchgani, where her own 3-year-old daughter studies.
The Jadhavs had been allegedly torturing Kabir (seen with his father above) for almost two months
"We chose the hostel as it is well known for academics. The yearly fees come up to Rs 1.2 lakh, while there are additional charges of Rs 4-5,000 every month," Neetu told mid-day.
6-year-old Kabir Singh's sister enrolled him in Aaradhya International Hostel because it was well known for academics and her own 3-year-old daughter studies there as well
She dropped Kabir off at the hostel on June 10, unaware of the misfortune that was to befall him. The first hint of trouble came when she went to meet her daughter and Kabir at the school on July 19.
Kabir's father points out an injury on the boy's ear, received during one of the thrashings
First signs
"On the day of Eid, I went to meet them, but could not spot Kabir for a while. Later, I saw him sitting alone; he was in severe pain. He complained of stomachache and after much pestering, he told me about the thrashing he got from his teachers.
When his sister went to pick him up from the school on Sunday, Kabir had a black eye and injuries all over his body
It was my mistake; I took his complaint lightly and told him not to indulge in mischievous activities and harass his teachers," recalled Neetu. Things came to a head on Saturday, when Neetu called the school to request that Kabir be excused, as she wanted to bring him to Mumbai to meet their parents.
However, the school refused to send him. Neetu turned up at the hostel on Sunday anyway. "When I saw Kabir on Sunday, he was very weak. I kept asking him what had happened but he was too scared to speak. At home, I removed his shirt and found injury marks all over his body. I panicked and rushed him to hospital," said Neetu.
Thrashed regularly
After this, Kabir recounted how he was beaten every day by the couple that owned the hostel, Malhar and Supriya Jadhav. He told her that the food at the hostel was too spicy, and when he couldn't eat it, they would beat him up. This happened nearly every other day. The torture got worse on Saturday night, after he peed on his bed.
The Jadhavs beat him up and then locked him inside the bathroom for the entire night. "When I met him on Sunday, his legs were white and cold from the night in the wet bathroom. I wasted no time and took him to a nearby hospital, where doctors saw the injury marks on his body. I went to the Chembur police station the same night," Neetu added.
The Chembur police registered an FIR against the couple (mid-day has a copy) under Sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC. The file has since been transferred to the Panchgani police.
ACP BB Rathod (Chembur division) said, "The boy's sister approached us with the complaint and gave us the medical report. We filed an FIR, and since the incident occurred in Panchgani, we sent the case to Panchgani police station in Mahabaleshwar for further investigation." Despite repeated attempts, the Jadhavs could not be reached for comment as their phones were switched off.
