KOCHI: The Ernakulam Rural Police on Friday arrested the warden of a children’s home at Kothamangalam following complaints of physical torture of inmates. On Thursday, four children of Pragathi Children’s home at Thrikariyoor near Kothamangalam escaped from the institution allegedly due to torturing by the warden.
The arrested is P K Subran, 48, of Ambaloor in Thrissur district. The officers at Kothamangalam police station said it was following a complaint from the children a case was registered and the warden was arrested. “Four children aged between 9 and 12 who went missing were traced out from a nearby place. In their statement, they claimed the warden frequently beat them with a cane. Based on the statement, we registered a case and arrested the accused,” said a police officer.
The parents of the children who gathered at the police station on Friday claimed that their wards had informed them about the physical torture they faced at the institution. Some of the children did not want to return to the place after summer vacation. The case has been registered under section 323 and 324 of IPC and section 7 of the Juvenile Justice Act. The home operates for children who require special case due to societal and familial concerns. Many of them hail from broken or financially backward families.