Budhia's coach may be arrested: Orissa minister

The fallout of wonder kid Budhia Singh's marathon exploits continued to create ripples in Orissa.

The fallout of wonder kid Budhia Singh's marathon exploits continued to create ripples in Orissa.

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Orissa's Minister for Women and Child Development Pramilla Mallick on Friday said that making the five-year-old boy run long distances might constitute the offence of "cruelty." She made it clear that if the child's coach did not pay any heed to it he might be arrested.

The Khurda District Child Welfare Committee (CWC), in its report, had requested the government to ensure that road show marathons of the child should not be allowed to be organised in future, the minister told reporters in Bhubaneswar.

Quoting the report, Mallick said making the child run such long distances might constitute the offence of "cruelty" to the child, which was punishable under section 23 of the Juvenile Justice (care and protection of children) Act, 2000.

It might also constitute the offence of "endangering life of others" punishable under section 336 of the IPC.

"The government will forward copies of the report to Collectors and SPs of all districts for taking necessary action. If the boy's coach does not pay any heed to this, he may be arrested," the minister said.

RS Mishra, Chairman of the Khurda District CWC, said the committee would write a separate letter to Budhia's coach Biranchi Das advising him not to make the child run marathon. "If he does not heed the advice, he may risk exposing himself to prosecution," he said.