Keonjhar (Odisha): In a shocking, shameful and barbaric incident, a lady worker and a cook of an anganwadi centre in Odisha’s Keonjhar district allegedly threw piping hot liquid residue (peja) of cooked rice on a child, leaving him critically injured.
The child was reportedly punished for ‘defiling’ the boiled eggs kept for the children in the Anganwadi Kendra.
The child’s father Rilu Munda has alleged that his child suffered the inhuman attack simply because he committed the crime of touching the boiled eggs kept in a container at the Anganwadi Kendra. This enraged the anganwadi worker and the cook allegedly because the child who belongs to the ‘Munda’ caste had desecrated the eggs by touching them.
The incident took place at the Khendra anganwadi kendra under Jhumpura police limits where an anganwadi worker Subhashree Giri and cook Sukanti Naik allegedly threw boiling hot ‘peja’ on a two and half year old child Parshuram Munda, resulting in serious burn injuries on his body.
Parshuram, who was initially rushed to the Jhumpura Primary Health Centre was later shifted to the district headquarters hospital here.
"The child has sustained severe burns on his body. However, his condition has stabilized and he is undergoing treatment here", said Bijay Kumar Behera, ADMO, Keonjhar.
Meanwhile, Jhumpura police has arrested both the anganwadi worker and the cook based on a complaint lodged by the child’s father, Rilu Munda.
The child will be shifted to Cuttack for treatment if the necessity arises, he said.