Daycare Worker Booked for Assaulting Seven-Year-Old Boy in Kanjurmarg West
Parksite police have registered a criminal case against a daycare employee for allegedly assaulting a seven-year-old boy with a plastic bottle at a centre in Kanjurmarg West, Mumbai. The alleged incident took place on August 4 at the EuroKids daycare facility located inside the Runwal Forest Club House in Kanjurmarg West. Police have identified the accused staff member as Manisha Wayangankar following a complaint lodged by the child's father.
The complainant in the case, 38-year-old Smith Kubar Patel, resides at the Runwal Forest complex in Kanjurmarg West with his wife, Ispita, and their seven-year-old son, Vihansh. According to the police FIR, both parents are employed as senior managers at separate private companies. Because both parents work during the day, they had enrolled Vihansh at the EuroKids Runwal Forest daycare facility to be looked after during after-school hours.
The matter first came to light on the evening of August 4 when Ispita went to the EuroKids daycare centre to pick up Vihansh after work. Upon meeting her son, she noticed that his upper lip was swollen. When she questioned the staff present at the facility regarding the visible injury on her son's face, the staff allegedly claimed that the seven-year-old boy had suffered the injury by falling down while playing.
However, after the family returned home, Vihansh revealed what had actually occurred at the daycare facility. The boy reportedly informed his parents that he had been playing with his friends at the centre when a caretaker, whom he referred to as "Didi," threw a plastic bottle directly at him, striking his face.
Seeking answers regarding the incident, Ispita visited the EuroKids daycare centre the next day and firmly questioned the staff about the injury and her son's statement. Following the mother's persistent questioning, the centre subsequently conducted an internal inquiry into the alleged assault. Upon completing the inquiry, the management informed Vihansh's parents that staff member Manisha Wayangankar had indeed allegedly hit the young boy.
After receiving confirmation from the daycare centre's inquiry, the parents approached the local authorities. The Parksite police registered a case against Wayangankar under relevant legal provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act as well as the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
