Sixth-grade boy forced to sleep in shed after being kicked out of home in Ernakulam; Survived only on juice

Koothattukulam, Kerala: The plight of a sixth-grade boy living with his mother in a dilapidated open shed in a forest area, after being driven out of their home, came to light during a counselling session at a school in Ernakulam. The child had been surviving on nothing but juice, as he wasn’t receiving any food at home. The police and Childline workers were alerted when the boy’s story came to light during a counselling session at school. The child was eventually reunited with his family.

An investigation was launched after juice bottles were found in the boy’s classroom at the local government school in Thirumarady Grama Panchayat. It was revealed that the child regularly arrived at school with juice. The boy explained that he wasn’t getting food at home, and his mother would give him ₹20 each day to buy juice.

The school principal led an inquiry into the matter and summoned the boy's mother, who works at a private firm in Koothattukulam, to the school.

The mother and father had been in conflict, and it was clear that the boy’s grandmother had been refusing to let him return home for several days. The mother confirmed that she gave the boy ₹20 daily because his grandmother would not allow him to eat the food prepared at home.

The school authorities reported the situation to the Koothattukulam police and Childline. On Friday, officials from Childline visited both the school and the boy's home. Following the police’s instruction to bring both the boy and his mother back into the house and to demolish the shed, the boy was finally brought back home.