Mumbai auto driver lifts 4-year-old by legs, smashes his head multiple times on ground after tiff with father; child critical

PALGHAR: An autorickshaw driver allegedly attacked a four-year-old boy, lifting him by his legs, slamming him to the ground, and then smashing his head against an iron rod following a dispute with the child’s father in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, police said on Tuesday.The incident occurred on Monday night at a housing society in Vasai and was captured on CCTV. The accused, identified as Sandeep Pawar, has been arrested.According to police, the attack stemmed from a minor argument between Pawar and the child’s father, Atul Kondhare, which escalated dramatically."The brutal incident took place around 8 pm on Monday. A minor argument between the accused autorickshaw driver Sandeep Pawar and the child's father Atul Kondhare took a gruesome turn," senior police inspector Balkrishna Ghadigaonkar told news agency PTI.The boy, identified as Vignesh, was playing inside a parked autorickshaw when Pawar approached, dragged him out by his legs, lifted him, and hurled him onto the ground. He then allegedly carried the child into the building and struck his head against an iron rod before throwing him down again."But the brutality did not stop there. Pawar then rushed inside the building while holding the child, and smashed his head against an iron rod before throwing him to the ground again. This was done solely to avenge a fight he had earlier with the boy's father over a minor issue," Ghadigaonkar added.Sources have confirmed that the child’s grandmother, who tried to intervene, was also attacked. Sources also confirmed that the accused dragged him to his first-floor home.The injured boy was initially taken to nearby hospitals but was later shifted to a Mira Road hospital due to the severity of his condition, he remains admitted in the intensive care unit and is battling for life.Pawar was produced before a local court and remanded to three days of police custody.A case has been registered against him under Section 109(1) (attempt to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with relevant provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act. Further investigation is underway.