Mumbai : The case of a 13 year-old boy from Dongri foster home who was brought in to JJ Hospital with his fingers crushed has once again exposed the unsafe living conditions in such residential facilities for minors. The boy’s four fingers were crushed when he was allegedly forced to make chapattis in a chapatti-making machine and will now take about eight weeks to recover.
Krishna Mhatre, a resident of the Dongri foster home, was admitted to JJ hospital on December 14 after the mishap. However, there is some ambiguity over how he injured his fingers since he had also given a statement saying his fingers were crushed between door panels. He was brought to the hospital by the foster home authorities after which he underwent a surgery. Three of his fingers were saved by adding a 1cm vein graph in order to allow blood circulation. “The boy is doing fine now and he might only lose half of his little finger. He needs at least eight weeks to recover because once the fracture is removed, he will be given physiotherapy in order to start making joint movements,” said a senior doctor from the hospital who did not wish to be named.
In the meanwhile, the foster home’s kitchen supervisor was suspended for negligence and further enquiry is underway.
Sources from the police said, “An enquiry is being done at the Dongri police station to find out what had happened. The boy had initially said that his fingers were crushed between the door panels but we need to question him further. Once these details are determined, an FIR against the guilty parties would be registered.”
