A six-year old boy was mercilessly kicked by a youth in Thalassery of Kannur on Thursday, November 3, for leaning on his parked car. The CCTV camera visuals of the crime gathered by the locals after the incident clearly showed the child slowly walking towards the car and leaning on it as it was parked on a road side. Suddenly, the accused, Shihshad, a native of Ponnyampalam and owner of the car, appeared and kicked the child on the backside of his waist. The child is seen moving backwards and holding his hands on where he was kicked, out of pain. The boy belonging to a migrant family from Rajasthan, according to reports, moved away and continued looking at the car and the youth even as people gathered around questioning the accused over his act.
The child, Ganesh, who is hospitalised, spoke to the media on Friday and said that he is in pain. His mother Mathur has said that the family had filed a complaint against Shahsad on Thursday night at 9pm.
Though soon after the incident, locals gathered and helped the parents lodge a complaint with police. But the police allegedly asked the accused to come back to the station the next morning. This invoked huge criticism as the visuals clearly showed the brutal nature of the assault on a six-year-old. After the visuals of the incident were published in the media, police received flak for treating the incident lightly. On the morning of Friday, November 4, they pressed charges against the youth for attempt to murder.
“In the incident where a child was kicked by a man, Thalassery police registered a case for attempt to murder. Shihshad of Ponnyampalam is in police custody,” Kerala Police tweeted on Friday.
However, there is still the question of why did police let him go after assaulting a child. Thalassery Assistant Superintendent of Police P Nithin Raj claimed that there were no lapses on part of the police in this case.
“Police took the suspect into custody early this morning. We also made sure that the child got proper treatment. Police have been supporting the migrant workers all these years,” ASP said, denying allegations against the police.
ASP said that Sections 308 (attempt to culpable homicide) and 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code have been slapped on the accused.
The six-year-old boy had been living with his parents, who are from Rajasthan, for the last two years in Thalassery town, selling balloons. Kerala is a preferred destination for migrant labourers and migrant families who stay for a short time selling trinkets by the wayside or on busy streets. The families often would have young children, who miss out on school and are at risk of their rights being violated.
“Kicking a child who leaned over a car is shocking and cruel. It's highly despicable. The Women & Child Development Department will extend all legal and other support to the child and family. The child has some injuries, all medical facilities will be provided. In CCTV visuals we have seen the child standing there helplessly without even knowing why he was kicked. The family came here for a livelihood. The government is with the family,” Veena George, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Kerala, wrote on Facebook.
Advocate Shukkur, a lawyer and an actor known for his role in ‘Nna than poyi case kodu’, wrote on Facebook that the demonic kick of Thalassery has hit each one of us in the face. Cruel Shihshad is 20-years-old. He is a degree student. What kind of education is he getting? The FIR was filed 10 hours after the incident. How will they explain this delay?” asked Shukkur.