MYSURU: A four-year-old boy, who was watching the Dasara Jamboo Savari procession with his parents, sustained a serious head injury when police resorted to lathicharge to control the crowd at Highway Circle in Mysuru on Wednesday evening. The child, Shishira, is undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at a private hospital.
One of the family members of the boy, Girish, told TNIE that police personnel resorted to caning during the procession to control the crowd, and a baton struck the boy on the head. The shocked parents rushed the profusely bleeding child to the hospital where doctors provided emergency treatment. The child reportedly required stitches.
“We brought our child to watch the Dasara. Was it necessary to wield a lathi against a small child?” Girish said, adding that doctors told them that they have to perform a surgery to ensure that there was no blood clot.
Former MP and BJP leader Pratap Simha visited hospital and enquired about the boy. Simha said he spoke to the deputy commissioner who promised that the medical costs of the boy will be covered under the CSR funds of the hospital.
Meanwhile, a complaint has been registered at NR police station. Police commissioner Seema Latkar issued a press statement saying that a through investigation will be conducted into the issue.