Idukki: A case under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act has been registered against the parents of the one-year-old toddler who had a miraculous escape as she accidentally fell off a moving jeep on a road inside a dense forest here on Tuesday.
The girl child, sitting on her mother's lap, fell off the vehicle near Munnar in Kerala's Idukki district on Sunday night after her parents, exhausted by the journey, had dozed off. They had travelled several kilometres when they realised that the child was missing, officials said.
Wildlife officials at the check-post at Ancham Mile near Rajamala heard the child's cries and found her on a forest path which is often used by wild animals, including elephants.
The baby suffered minor injuries to her face and forehead due to the fall. She was taken to a nearby hospital, where first-aid was administered, and the police were informed.
"According to the statements given by the forest officials, we have registered a case against the parents of the child under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act. The probe is on," an investigating officer told PTI.
Section 75 of the Act deals with the punishment for cruelty to Child.
The Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has also registered a case in this regard.
The child and her parents, natives of nearby Kambalikkandam, were returning home after a visit to the Palani temple in Tamil Nadu, Santhosh KS, Sub-Inspector, Munnar had said.
CCTV visuals of the check-post which showed the baby falling off the jeep and crawling to safety have now gone viral on social media.
(With inputs from PTI)