• A five-year-old girl suffers serious burns caused by her stepmother
• The incident came to light a week after her teacher noticed her struggling to sit in class

A five-year-old girl sustained severe burns after her stepmother allegedly burned her with a hot spatula as punishment for bedwetting in Palakkad, Kerala, India.

Reports stated that the incident occurred near Kanjikode and was only discovered after the child’s teacher noticed her difficulty sitting during class, with the girl revealing the assault during questioning.

Walayar police arrested 35-year-old Noor Nazar, a native of Bihar, and charged her with intentionally causing serious harm and cruelty to a child under the Juvenile Justice Act, according to a local newspaper.

A local court placed the accused in 14-day judicial custody following a medical examination of the child at the Primary Health Centre.

The Child Welfare Committee is currently caring for the girl, daughter of Muhammad Intias, a Nepalese hotel employee, while authorities noted that the child had reportedly been subjected to a prolonged period of abuse prior to the latest incident.