A 25-year-old man has been taken into custody on suspicion of fatally assaulting his two-and-a-half-year-old daughter in Malappuram district of Kerala, leading to the high court taking suo motu action to devise a protocol for law enforcement to intervene in such instances before they escalate, as per police reports on Tuesday.The incident unfolded in the Udirampoyil area of Malappuram district on March 24 afternoon when the accused, identified as Mohammed Fayiz, rushed his daughter Nasrin to a hospital in Wandoor, claiming she had choked on food, as stated by the police.Medical professionals conducting the autopsy revealed that the childs demise was due to brain clotting, with her ribs indicating severe assault through fractures, informed Kalikavu station house officer Sasidharan Pillai.There were also numerous external injuries indicating prolonged assault over at least a week, noted the officer, citing inputs from the medical team that alerted law enforcement.Mohammed Fayiz was apprehended on Monday night and presented in court on Tuesday, charged under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act, shared Pillai.Investigations indicate a potential connection between the assault on the child and ongoing marital discord between Fayiz and his wife, who was absent during the incident. There were disagreements between them that might have prompted Fayiz to perpetrate these acts against his daughter, mentioned a source familiar with the case.A local resident, preferring anonymity, disclosed that Fayiz regularly subjected his daughter to physical abuse, despite objections from neighbors. He would beat her regularly and we could hear her cries. Whenever questioned, he would dismiss our concerns, and the child was rarely seen outside, stated the relative.In response to the distressing incident, the Kerala high court initiated suo motu proceedings, expressing shock at the occurrence in the state. The occurrence of such an event within our state is deeply disturbing and demands immediate attention, emphasized Justice Devan Ramachandran.
