

VELLORE: A two-year-old girl was admitted to Government Vellore Medical College Hospital with multiple cigarette burn injuries all over her body and wounds in her genital area.
District Child Protection Unit (DCPU), Vellore, on Tuesday, lodged an FIR in the All Women’s Police Station (AWPS) after receiving information from the hospital.
The police registered a case under the POCSO Act, voluntary hurt and attempt to murder and conducted a preliminary probe into the case.
Preliminary probe revealed that the child's father, an alcoholic, physically tortured her. On July 26, he branded his daughter with cigarette-burn injuries on her body, the police said.
The DCPU officer told Express that the child is now undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). She will be handed over to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC Vellore) after the treatment.
The police said that they have registered a case under Section 324 (Voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), Section 307 (attempt to murder) of IPC and Section 4 (punishment for sexual assault) and Section 6 (punishment for aggravated sexual assault) of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) act against the child’s father, mother and mother’s paramour.
Both the father of the child and her mother's paramour have absconded, police said, adding, a manhunt to nab the absconders is on.
The child’s mother will be interrogated after her treatment gets over, police added.