Bangalore, April 9: In a painful throwback to the case involving Baby Falak, a three-month-old Bangalore baby girl is battling for life in a City hospital after her father brutally tortured her for two days and attempted to kill her as he wanted a son.
The incident came to light when Afreen’s mother Reshma Banu brought the child to Vani Vilas hospital for treatment. Dr Gangadhar Belawadi, in-charge medical superintendent of the hospital, who examined the girl, suspected she was a victim of violence and informed members of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) who complained to the police.
The CWC has taken suo motu congnizance of the case and has helped the mother lodge a complaint with the police who subsequently arrested Farooq. The girl’s father, Farooq, a resident of Kushalnagar in KG Halli, and Reshma Banu married two years ago. Farooq was enraged at Reshma delivering a girl three months ago.
Reshma told Deccan Herald that enraged at not having got a son, Farooq was pestering her to abandon the child and even threatened to kill the baby.
Describing the assault on the baby, Reshma said she noticed some bite marks on the baby on April 5 and when she questioned Farooq, he brushed aside the injuries as insect bites. The next day, Reshma not only noticed cigarette burns on baby’s forehead and posterior, her neck was found dislocated. She later learnt that Farooq had banged the baby’s head on the wall when she was in the cradle. The baby developed fits on the morning of April 7 and vomited blood. Later, Reshma discovered that her husband tried to kill the baby by suffocating it with a pillow.
When Farooq and her in-laws refused to take the baby to hospital, Reshma had her way and took Afreen to Bowring Hospital. She was referred to Vani Vilas where the baby is being treated at the paediatric ICU.
Dr Belawadi said the child’s condition was critical. She had suffered a head injury, abrasions and bite marks. He said the child was referred to NIMHANS where a scan confirmed haemorrhage.
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