Four-year-old critical after cop lathi-charged him during Jamboo Savari procession
What's the story
A four-year-old boy was critically injured after he was allegedly hit on the head by a police baton during the Dasara Jamboo Savari procession in Mysuru on Wednesday. The child, identified as Shishir, was standing with his parents near Highway Circle when he was hit by a cop controlling the crowd using lathi. He sustained serious head injury and is undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a private hospital, TNIE reported.
Parental distress
Father expresses shock, anger at incident
Speaking to the newspaper, the boy's father, Girish, expressed his shock and anger at the incident. He said that a lathi charge by police was carried out to control the crowd during the procession.
"We brought our child to watch Dasara, but we could not bear to see him lying in a pool of blood," he said.
"Was it necessary to wield a lathi against a small child?" the boy's father asked.
Treatment and inquiry
Boy will require surgery to open skull
Doctors have informed the family that Shishir will need surgery to open his skull and check for any blood clots.
While the family has alleged that a police baton struck the boy, an investigation is needed to establish the sequence of events and determine whether there was any negligence on the part of the police.
Rangaswamy, a former corporator, said a formal complaint will be filed at the local police station seeking action against the cop.