One-yr-old infant in Hoskote rescued from being sacrificed by parents; faith in witchcraft suspected
Hoskote: In an incident reported from the taluk, officers of the District Child Welfare Committee rescued a one-year-old male infant in Sulibele town whose parents were allegedly following witchcraft and preparing to sacrifice their child on Saturday.
The child was handed to the care of a children’s home and, based on the orders of the Committee on Monday, a case will be registered and the matter will be probed by the police, Anithalakshmi, Bengaluru Rural District Child Welfare Committee Officer, has said.
On Saturday morning, the staff handling the Children’s Helpline received information about preparations being made for the sacrificial rituals using witchcraft to be conducted in Sulibele. The Women and Child Welfare Department Assistant Director Shivamma, Bengaluru Rural Child Protection Officer Shridhar and personnel, along with Children’s Helpline staff member Shrinivas held a raid on the house with the help of the local police. The group of officials found that a pit being dug in the basement of a three-floor building situated at the location mentioned by the caller. The infant was also found there.
It is suspected that preparations were being made to sacrifice the infant with a desire to find wealth. In addition, equipment to conduct a prayer ritual were noticed in the house, the Women and Child Welfare Office has said.
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Official investigation has revealed that the couple, Imran and Naccha, has two daughters and purchased the male child from a Kolar couple.
When asked about the pit dug in the house, however, the couple is learned to have given multiple explanations, which has given rise to suspicion regarding the authenticity of the reasons mentioned.
The couple has stated that the pit had been dug to destroy an anthill in the house. In addition, Imran and Naccha have said that Imran had been suffering from health problems. Unidentified people had cast a spell on him and hidden it in the house for some time now.
Shridhar has said that a report will be submitted before the Child Welfare Committee on the statements of Imran and Naccha.
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Odisha govt halts salaries of 5 teachers after school fire injures 4 students
Bhubaneswar (PTI): The Odisha government on Tuesday halted the salaries of five teachers and issued show-cause notices to other staff of a state-run high school in Rayagada district, a day after four students sustained severe burn injuries in a fire incident on the premises of the institute.
School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond told PTI that he has directed the department secretary to submit a detailed report on the incident and ordered a departmental inquiry to ascertain negligence, if any.
The students suffered burn injuries while playing around a fire during school hours.
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“The department has stopped the salaries of five teachers and issued show-cause notices to other staff members in connection with the incident,” he said.
The minister said that further action would be taken against teachers or staff if negligence in duty was established.
School and Mass Education Secretary N Thirumala Naik said three of the injured students were undergoing treatment at a hospital in Rayagada, while one critically injured student has been shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.
The school headmaster had lodged a complaint at Muniguda police station on Monday. Police have recorded statements of the injured students, officials said.
According to preliminary findings, the incident occurred when a classmate of the injured students allegedly threw colour thinner, an inflammable substance, onto a fire that had been lit by the students on the school building’s balcony.
Muniguda police station in-charge inspector Saudamini Behera said the students were playing on the school roof around 2 pm on Monday when they found a bottle of thinner stored there.
They allegedly poured it on the floor and set it on fire using a matchstick. One of the boys later added more thinner, causing the flames to flare up and injure four students, she said.
