The District Child Welfare Committee (CWC) on Monday sought details from the Beltangady police to lodge a case against a woman and her husband for physically abusing and allegedly molesting their six-year-old daughter.
The woman, Fouzia, has since been arrested by Beltangady police and her husband, Shafi, is absconding.
Sources in Beltangady police station said Fouzia had married Shafi after she was abandoned by her first husband, eight months ago. Soon after the marriage Fouzia started to ignore her child born from the first marriage.
On Saturday, activists of the Social Democratic Party of India who were alerted by neighbours, found the child with knife injuries on her body, including tell-tale symptoms of assault on her private parts.
They admitted the child to a hospital and later lodged a complaint with the Beltangady police station. They then complained to Child Welfare Committee chairperson Asha Nayak and sought the help of the committee to provide the child a safe place.
According to the police, the mother Fouzia had instigated the crime.
When contacted, Asha said the committee has asked the Beltangady police to hand over the child to Child Welfare Committee custody.
“Once the child is discharged from the hospital we will send her to a suitable institution,” she said.
Doctors have been asked to examine the child to find if she was sexually molested.
“If we get an affirmative medical report, the Child Welfare Committee will slap a case against the mother and step father under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POSCO) Act,” Asha said.