A police constable and his wife have been arrested in Natore after a seven-year-old boy allegedly suffered a severe injury in which part of his right index finger was severed. The child was initially taken to Natore Sadar Hospital and was later referred to Rajshahi for further treatment.
The incident reportedly took place in an area of Natore town on Thursday afternoon. The boy’s father subsequently filed a case that night. The two arrested suspects were taken before a court on Friday morning, police said.
Mahbubur Rahman, residential medical officer at Natore Sadar Hospital, said the child had been brought to the hospital with part of a finger on his right hand severed. Doctors later referred him to Rajshahi for more advanced medical care.
According to police and local residents, the arrested constable is stationed in Natore. He had been living with his wife and four-year-old daughter in a rented flat on the second floor of the house belonging to the injured boy’s family.
The two families lived in close proximity, and the children regularly interacted with one another.
On Wednesday night, a family picnic was held at the house. During the gathering, the constable’s four-year-old daughter and the seven-year-old boy reportedly got into a physical altercation. The matter was subsequently settled within the family, according to the boy’s relatives.
The following day, however, the situation allegedly escalated. The boy’s family claims that, after returning home from duty, the constable took the child to his flat against his will.
A short while later, the boy returned to his own home crying, with part of his right index finger severed. According to the child’s account to his mother, his hand was placed on the leg of a bed and his finger was cut with a hasua, a traditional curved kitchen cutting tool.
The boy’s father, who works for a bank, said his wife informed neighbours about what had happened before taking their son to Natore Sadar Hospital. Following initial medical attention, the child was referred to Rajshahi for further treatment.
The constable, meanwhile, made a verbal complaint to the superintendent of police’s office following the incident. He alleged that the seven-year-old boy had sexually assaulted his daughter. The couple subsequently left the rented accommodation with their daughter.
Police later went to the constable’s residence to investigate the incident. As the flat was locked, officers broke open the lock to enter, according to police. They said they found bloodstains on the floor and on the bed platform. A severed portion of a finger was also reportedly recovered from one side of the floor.
The boy’s father said his son had regular contact with the constable’s daughter because the families lived in the same building. He described the earlier incident at the picnic as a minor altercation that had already been settled within the family.
He has called for a proper investigation and justice over the injury suffered by his son.
Police have also acknowledged the allegation concerning the constable’s daughter. However, the officer-in-charge of Natore Sadar police station said on Friday morning that the girl’s parents had not submitted a written complaint. They had only made a verbal allegation that the girl had been subjected to abuse.
Police said the circumstances surrounding the interactions between the two children, the subsequent allegations made by both families and the events inside the rented flat are being examined as part of the investigation. Evidence reportedly recovered from the residence, along with statements from those involved, will be considered as investigators establish what happened and determine responsibility.
