The police tracked down the family in Nandgaon village and found that the mother lost her temper because the restless two-year-old girl was refusing to sit quietly.
IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: ANI Photo
Key Points
- Police investigation revealed the child's mother, frustrated by her two-year-old's restlessness, was the perpetrator, not anganwadi staff.
- The incident occurred in Nandgaon, Panvel City, with the mother kicking and beating the child who fell down a step.
- Parents were counselled and warned by police, but no formal offence was registered after medical checks confirmed no severe injuries.
- Minister Aditi Tatkare urged against misinformation, clarifying that anganwadi workers were falsely accused in social media posts.
A shocking viral video of a toddler being assaulted at a government-run anganwadi in Navi Mumbai sparked outrage, prompting the police to launch a probe, which revealed that the perpetrator was the child's mother and not the staff as claimed online, an official said on Friday.
The police tracked down the family in Nandgaon village and found that the mother lost her temper because the restless two-year-old girl was refusing to sit quietly.
The incident took place earlier this week at an anganwadi in Nandgaon, under the jurisdiction of the Panvel City police station.
The footage, circulated widely on social media, showed a woman kicking and beating a child, who fell down a step at the anganwadi. Taking swift cognisance of the viral video, the police launched a detailed probe to verify its authenticity.
According to the police, the child was refusing to sit quietly inside the anganwadi, and, frustrated by her restlessness, the child's mother lost her temper and beat her. A bystander recorded the incident, which later found its way to social media.
The toddler was immediately taken for medical examination to ensure she had not sustained any severe or internal injuries, they said.
The parents were summoned to the police station, counselled and warned against repeating any such abusive behaviour in the future, an official said, adding that no offence was registered.
Meanwhile, State Minister for Women and Child Development Aditi Tatkare, in a post on X, said that her department took immediate cognisance of the video and deputed the concerned child development project officer (CDPO) to conduct an on-the-spot inquiry.
She appealed against the spread of misinformation, saying social media posts falsely identifying the woman as an anganwadi worker were misleading.
Tatkare said anganwadi workers serve millions of children across Maharashtra with dedication, and making baseless allegations against them was unfair.
