Agencies/Oslo

A  Norwegian court said yesterday it has sentenced an Indian couple to prison for physically abusing their then six-year-old son in a case that has drawn widespread attention in India.

The couple, who were living in Norway for professional reasons at the time, were found guilty of burning their son, today aged seven, with a hot spoon and the father was also found guilty of lashing him several times with a belt.

The father and mother were sentenced to prison for 18 and 15 months respectively.

The Oslo district court refused to disclose their names, but Indian media have identified the parents as Chandrasekhar Vallabhaneni, a computer engineer, and his wife Anupama.

Vallabhaneni is an employee of Tata Consultancy Service (TCS) on deputation to Oslo.

Social services were alerted after the boy refused to get off a school bus in March after wetting himself.

He said he was afraid his parents would “burn my tongue,” as they had threatened to do on previous occasions.

Police then opened an inquiry that uncovered the abuse.

The boy said he was deliberately burned with a hot spoon on his leg in January, causing a 3x5cm scar. His parents claimed it was an accident.

The child also told judges his father had hit him on the back with a belt on several occasions, which the father denied.

The sentence was in line with the prosecution’s request.

According to Norwegian media reports, the parents plan to appeal the sentence. The boy and his younger brother currently live with their grandparents in India.

“The proven abuse took place over a period of six to seven months and, therefore, falls under section 219, first paragraph, of the Penal Code on repeated maltreatment,” a statement on Norway’s official website said.

“One of the parents received an unconditional prison sentence of 18 months, and the other an unconditional prison sentence of 15 months. This is in line with the sentences proposed by the prosecution. The verdict can be appealed to the Borgarting Court of Appeal,” the statement added.

Shocked family members termed the verdict “one-sided” as the court did not take into account the issues raised by the couple, including the report sent by a psychiatrist from Hyderabad, the family’s hometown.

The parents of the couple broke down on hearing the news of their conviction.

“There was no response to our concerns. We came to know that the court did not take into account the points raised by our lawyer. This is not a digestible situation,” Vallabhaneni’s nephew V Sailendra said.

“We have the option of appealing in a higher court and we will exercise that option,” he added.

“Our biggest worry is how to handle the children because they are inquiring about their parents. They want to know because newspapers and television channels are carrying their pictures,” said another family member.

Sailendra said both children were depressed and they were sending regular reports to the Oslo police about their health condition.

“What kind of justice is this? This verdict has separated the children from their parents. The children can’t live without them. The two-year-old is very attached to them and he needs their care,” he said.