Parents brand one-yr-old with wire

A one-year-old girl was admitted to the Sion hospital on Wednesday after her parents branded her with a hot wire in an ill-advised attempt to cure her of a stomach ache.

A one-year-old girl was admitted to the Sion hospital on Wednesday after her parents branded her with a hot wire in an ill-advised attempt to cure her of a stomach ache.

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On Tuesday, Antop hill residents Tulsiram and Kastura Dhotre, upset with their child's stomach pain, branded her near the navel with a hot wire. "Back in Karnataka, we treat our children for stomach pain by branding them," said Tulsiram who works as a labourer.

The next day, however, the girl's condition deteriorated and her parents rushed her to Sion hospital, where she was diagnosed with pneumonia.

"We had slated her for a video-assisted thoracic surgery on Thursday. But her parents refused to give consent," said a doctor from the pediatric department.

Though the child is undergoing treatment, the parents have requested for a discharge. "She is now doing better. We have decided to take her to our village for treatment," Tulsiram said.

"We have tried convincing the parents to keep the treatment going, but they have asked for a discharge," a doctor said. "We have informed the police and we will have to issue a discharge against medical advice."