Battered Kerala boy's condition improving, says doctor

The condition of the five-year-old boy, who was hospitalised here after being brutalised by his parents, is stabilising, a doctor treating him said Sunday.

"The boy's condition is improving and only 20 percent of the time he is on the ventilator support. Later in the day, we will perform a tracheotomy on him. His bowel is also functioning well," a doctor told the media Sunday morning.

Tracheotomy is a surgical procedure that allows a person to breathe without the use of his or her nose or mouth.

The doctor added that a CT scan has revealed a minor injury on the boy's head which is not of serious nature.

Many churches in this hilly district of Kerala held special prayer sessions Sunday for the speedy recovery of the battered boy.

The boy's father, a labourer, brought him to a hospital here Monday with head injuries. He attributed the injuries to a fall from a ladder.

However, doctors found burn marks on his body, a deep wound in his head and a broken leg. They then alerted the police.

On questioning, it was found that the child had been subjected to brutality by his parents. The boy's father and his step-mother have been arrested.