11-Year-Old Child's Tongue Burnt With Hot Iron On Suspicion Of Stealing Teapot

An 11-year-old child was allegedly tortured and forced to lick a hot iron of an ax over suspicion of theft in Pakistan. The boy's tongue got severely burnt following the incident.

Tehseeb, the victim, was put through excruciating pain and brutality in order to prove his innocence in the case. Three people, identified as Siraj, Abdul Raheem, and Muhammad Khan, accused the boy of stealing a teapot or kettle. They were later arrested by the Border Military Police (BMP) of Fazala Kachh on Thursday on the report of the victim’s father, local newspaper Dawn reported.

The boy suffered tongue burns and was taken to the Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) hospital for treatment.

According to the report, the tribal Baloch from where the boy belonged, still use the water and fire tradition for the trial of suspects. As per the tradition, if a person is innocent he remains unscathed after crossing the burning embers or licking hot iron. If the suspect suffers burns, it means he or she is guilty.

The draconian water tradition states that a suspect needs to remain under water for a specified time and come out alive to prove his or her innocence. If the suspect comes out before the specified time, he or she is declared guilty.

Local tribal people claim that such inhuman practice helps settle disputes in the absence of a judicial system, according to the report. In the town where the incident took place, local courts are set up to determine who is guilty in any case.

"We will not allow anyone to take the law into their own hands," Fazla Kachh Circle DSP Hashim Buzdar said, according to Times Now.

BMP Commandant Ahmed Hassan Ranjha said that setting up private courts is against the law. He added that if anyone commits a crime, a complaint should be lodged at the nearest police station.

The charges placed against the suspects responsible for the burn injuries on the child remain unclear.

In March, a 10-year-old boy in India was allegedly locked up and tortured to death by a shop owner for reportedly stealing snacks from the store. The owner’s associates were also involved in the abuse that took place in the southern state of Karnataka. The suspects held the boy captive for hours and released him after several pleas from the family. The boy was taken to a hospital for his injuries but he died later, reports said at the time.