A disgruntled father, who was angry over his son's performance in the SSLC exams and beat him up with the handle of hoe, was arrested by Kilimanoor police under relevant sections of IPC and Juvenile Justice Act. Sabu, a 45-year-old man, was arrested on the basis of a complaint filed by his wife. As per the complaint, Sabu on Monday afternoon thrashed his son when he got to know that his son scored only six A+ in the exams. His son had promised Sabu that he will get nine A+.
Kilimanoor police sources said after hearing from his son that he had got only six A+ grades which were below his expectations, Sabu beat him with the handle of the hoe which was lying nearby. The boy was hit behind his knee resulting in slight discolouration of the skin.
The incident came to light when one of the boy's friends took a photograph and uploaded it on social media. The matter was taken note of by the Child rights organisations who alerted the police of the incident.
Sabu's wife later lodged a complaint with the police saying her husband at times used to punish his son. She also gave a statement in this regard to the police. It was based on the complaints that Sabu was charged under IPC 323, 324 ( Voluntarily causing hurt) and Juvenile Justice Act.
Meanwhile, the police station witnessed emotional scenes after the police decided to charge Sabu. Though Sabu's wife adopted a tough stance against him on Monday, on Tuesday she seemed to have climbed down from her earlier position. On hearing that her husband might be remanded to prison, she broke down and pleaded to junk her case, a request the police officials turned down citing legal issues. Sabu's son also came to the station and broke into tears when the police took him to the magistrate, who sent him to remand.
A police officer attached with the station said the issue snowballed into a legal tangle due to the domestic issues between the parents of the boy. "They at times used to have a fight on various issues. The woman thought she can teach him a lesson by lodging a complaint. But she did not know that things will go this far." "The boy was beaten only once and there was no wounds or anything. Sabu thought his son had shown lax in the last days prior to the exams and hence this result," the police said.
Police said Sabu was a doting father and had even bought a two-wheeler for his son as a gift if he fared well in the exam. "He was overly enthusiastic about the academic performance of his child and that proved to be his undoing," the police added.
