The Punalur Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-II has remanded two accused in the assault of a 12-year-old boy at a children’s home in Kollam to 14 days’ judicial custody. The accused, warden Tom and cook Liju Kurien, have been lodged in the Kottarakkara sub-jail.

The incident occurred on April 30 at Living Waters Boys’ Home in Vettithitta, Punalur. According to police, the duo allegedly assaulted the boy after accusing him of stealing ₹500 and attempted to hang him upside down using a rope. Liju, a native of Ranni in Pathanamthitta, is the first accused, while Tom, a native of Kollam's Kuttikkonam, is the second accused.

The victim, also from Pathanamthitta, disclosed the incident to his parents later that evening when his father took him home for vacation. His elder sibling is also an inmate at the institution, and their mother is bedridden.

“I went to bring my children home around 8 pm. After we reached home, they seemed disturbed. When I asked, they told me about the incident. They said the cook's ₹500 had gone missing, and my younger son was assaulted over the allegation,” the boy’s father told the media.

However, the institution's authorities claimed they had not received any complaint. “The alleged incident happened around 6.45 pm, but no child reported it. None of the staff heard any disturbance or cries,” an official told the media.

Following a complaint from the family, the Punalur police registered a case and arrested the accused. During an inspection, officers seized the rope used in the assault. The family also alleged that the boy faced continued harassment despite denying the theft.

The case has been registered under Sections 75 (cruelty to children by caregivers) and 82 (corporal punishment in child care institutions) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, along with Sections 115(1) (voluntarily causing hurt) and 118(1) (causing hurt using dangerous means) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Police said the institution provides boarding and education for children from economically weaker sections.