54-day old baby critical after father slaps& flings her on cot

Kochi, Jun 20 (PTI): A 54-day-old infant suffered severe head injuries and is in critical condition after she was allegedly slapped and thrown on to a cot by its father in the district, police said here on Saturday. The man's family is originally from Kannur district but have settled down at Angamaly for quite some time, police said.

Kochi, Jun 20 (PTI): A 54-day-old infant suffered severe head injuries and is in critical condition after she was allegedly slapped and thrown on to a cot by its father in the district, police said here on Saturday. Shaiju Thomas, 40, has been arrested on the basis of a complaint by his wife, who is from Nepal, they said.

He has been charged under various sections of the IPC including 307 (attempt to murder) and Juvenile Justice Act, police said. The child has been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a private medical college at Kolenchery and her condition is critical as she suffered brain damage, they said.

Police said the man, short tempered in nature and an alcoholic, had suspicions over the parenthood of the infant and that probably led him to attack the child. After snatching the infant from his wife, Thomas allegedly slapped the child twice before throwing her to the cot in their home.

He also used to beat the child whenever he came home after consuming liquor, they said. However, it was not clear if he was in an inebriated state when he flung the child on the cot.

The family is staying in a rented premises at Josepuram in Angamaly, police said. Thomas, who met the 34-year-old woman through the social media, married her last year at a church in Nepal.

It was his brother, a pastor settled in Arunachal Pradesh, who arranged their marriage, police said. The man's family is originally from Kannur district but have settled down at Angamaly for quite some time, police said.