Coimbatore: A four-year-old boy was branded with a sizzling hot steel dosa turner on his cheek and on his foot by a 45-year-old woman to warn him against playing for long hours in her neighbour's house in Coimbatore. Acting on a tip-off from a local resident, a team of child line officials rescued the boy at around 11.30 am on Tuesday and are planning to initiate criminal action against the accused woman, Rani, who had rented out her house in the ground floor to the victim's family at Puliakulam.

The child, who goes to Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), is in the care of her grandparents, while his father Rajkumar, a labourer is an alcoholic and his mother is not living with them. "The grandparents were afraid that Rani may ask them to leave the house if they raise this issue and it may eventually become difficult for them to find another house at an affordable rent," said I.Angeline, a counselor at Child Line in Coimbatore.

Rani had branded the child twice in a similar fashion using the dosa turner for the same reason. "She has an enmity towards her neighbour and doesn't like this boy playing in their house. A week ago, Rani branded the boy on his foot and repeated the same on his chin two days back when she came to know that he was playing in their house. In the second instance, she forced him out of the house, dragged him all the way to her house and branded him with a burning dosa turner," Angeline said.

The boy developed an infection on his foot due to branding and couldn't walk properly and he still limps. He needs to be treated for the wound at the hospital. The child line officials have also questioned the locus standi of the woman in punishing the son of another for such a petty reason. Meanwhile, the district child protection officer, G. Vijaya has also decided to probe into the incident and initiate action for the offence.