THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Stung by the regrettable episode of torture of a two-and-a-half-year-old toddler by her caretakers, the State Council for Child Welfare has decided to take corrective measures to reform its working style.
The council will analyse the mental and physical attitude of its employees, particularly caretakers, and will make it mandatory to have police verification done before hiring staff, said council general secretary G L Arun Gopi said.
Arun Gopi said analysis will be done with the help of an expert group during which the physical and mental fitness of the staff will be scrutinised. He added that police verification will be made mandatory for the staff while joining work and also during definite intervals. Apart from that, the service history of all the employees will be verified.
“Corrections will be made as and when required regarding the working style of the staff,” he added.
Another source in the organisation said all the children under its care will be subjected to a medical examination to assess whether they were also tortured by the caretakers. The torture of the toddler by the caretakers for wetting the bed was reported to the police on November 30.
The Museum police on Tuesday arrested the caretakers - Ajitha, Maheswari, and Sindhu - under the POCSO Act and relevant sections of the BNS.
The council had suspended seven temporary staff members, who were on duty during the week of the incident.
The case has sparked public outrage and several organisations staged protest marches to the council premises ever since. Protesters demanded strict action against the caretakers and a review of the shelter’s practices. The police, meanwhile, will seek the custody of the trio, who are in judicial custody, on Saturday.
The trio had clipped their fingernails before appearing before the police. The toddler was allegedly pinched on her genitals and buttocks, resulting in injuries. The fingernails were clipped to prevent police from collecting evidence.