Idukki (Kerala) Jul 19 (IANS): The condition of a five-year-old boy battered by his father and step-mother continued to be critical Friday, doctors attending on him at a hospital in Kattappana, near here, said.

Speaking to reporters Friday, a doctor said the boy was still on ventilator.

"He has to undergo another scan as his condition is serious," he said.

The boy was admitted Monday after his father brought him to the hospital with head injuries which the parent attributed to a fall from a ladder.

But, upon examination, doctors found the boy also had burn marks on his body, a deep wound on the head and a broken leg. With a frail body, the boy also sported a frightened look. The doctors then alerted the police.

Once the father and his second wife were quizzed, police learnt that the boy had been subjected to brutality. Both were arrested and are now in jail.

Pledging support for the boy's treatment, the state government has ensured that experts attend to him as he is unfit to travel to a state-of-the-art hospital.

Kattappana is about 270 km from state capital Thiruvananthapuram.

People have been making enquiries about the boy's progress.

Prayer sessions are being held at a few places for his recovery.

The state government has asked a committee of top bureaucrats to come out with a report in a month's time on how to tackle such cases.

The education department has directed schools to conduct regular counselling to find if all is well with students at home.