Man held for assaulting partner’s 7-year-old son; child critical

Police said Singh allegedly resented the child, whom he viewed as a hurdle in their intimacy. He had reportedly asked the woman to keep the boy away at night and had assaulted and threatened him on earlier occasions.

THANE: A seven-year-old boy is in critical condition after he was allegedly assaulted by his mother’s live-in partner at their rented home in Ambernath on Friday. The accused, arrested by the Ambernath police, has been booked for attempt to murder.

Man held for assaulting partner’s 7-year-old son; child critical

According to the police, the boy’s mother recently separated from her husband and moved from Govandi to Ambernath with her youngest son, while her two elder children stayed with their father. She began working at an electronics shop and later entered into a relationship with Vikas Singh, an acquaintance of her brother-in-law. The couple started living together in a rented house on June 26.

Police said Singh allegedly resented the child, whom he viewed as a hurdle in their intimacy. He had reportedly asked the woman to keep the boy away at night and had assaulted and threatened him on earlier occasions.

On Friday, while the woman was at work, Singh allegedly beat the child with a rolling pin and repeatedly punched him in the chest, abdomen and groin.

When the mother returned home during her lunch break, she found her son’s face swollen. As she helped him use the washroom, she noticed severe swelling to his genitals and bruises across his body. The child, allegedly too frightened to speak while Singh was present, collapsed shortly afterwards and lost consciousness.

He was first taken to a local hospital before being referred to Central Hospital in Ulhasnagar and later shifted to KEM Hospital in Mumbai, where he remains in the intensive care unit. Doctors told the police that the child had suffered a blood clot in his brain, allegedly caused by a blow to the head with a rolling pin.

Police said the woman confronted Singh on Monday, when he allegedly admitted to assaulting the boy, saying he wanted to “get rid of him” because the child was an obstacle to their relationship. She then approached the police and lodged a complaint.

Shabbir Sheikh, senior police inspector at Ambernath police station, said Singh was arrested and booked for attempt to murder. He was produced before a local court, which remanded him to police custody till July 24.