Single dad forces 8-year-old son to hit himself, then binds boy's hands and feet (Meridian, Idaho)

There's a lot that's "unusual" about this case--and the fact that dad NIRMAL SINGH SAMBHI "allegedly" forced his 8-year-old son to hit himself (before binding the boy's hands and feet) is just the start of it. Notice that an unidentified "family member" reported the abuse. Notice that Daddy and his two kids were "the only people living in the home." WHICH MEANS THAT DADDY WAS SINGLE AND/OR CUSTODIAL. And that the children are now "in the custody of the state." Where along the way was the mother of these children erased from their lives? Why does the press participate in this erasure without comment?

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.

http://www.ktvb.com/news/Police-say-dad-made-8-year-old-son-hit-himself-with-a-shoe-118517199.html

Police say dad made 8-year-old son hit himself with a shoe
by Scott Evans
KTVB.COM
Posted on March 23, 2011 at 11:55 AM

Updated today at 7:10 AM

MERIDIAN -- An unusual case of child abuse has been reported in Meridian.

Tuesday evening, just after midnight, Meridian Police arrested a father for allegedly abusing his young son.

Police are accusing Nirmal Singh Sambhi of punishing his 8-year-old son by forcing him to hit himself with a shoe. After the child hit himself, Singh bound the boy's hands and feet with rope.

Meridian Police Deputy Chief Tracy Basterrechea says a family member alerted police about what was happening in the home.

"They had been contacted via e-mail that this had occurred, by someone inside the residence, and then they in turn contacted us," said Basterrechea.

Basterrechea said Sambhi and two children were the only people living in the home and were the only people there during the alleged abuse. He says Sambhi believed his son had stolen something and used the shoe and rope as punishment.

As a result, police removed both children from the home. They are now in custody of the state."These are the cases we want to get in front of, and we want to get them before they become a tragic case like a Robert Manwill," said Basterrechea.

Police are investigating the possibility of more abuse, but at this point, there is no indication of that. Still, Basterrechea says one time is too many.

"Abuse is abuse, and I think it's kind of like pornography, you know it when you see it, and our officers are trained to detect those things, and when you're leaving bruises and leaving marks on children, you're stepping over that line, and we're going to take some sort of action," said Basterrechea.

Singh was arraigned Wednesday afternoon on the felony charge. A judge set his bail at $100,000 and ordered him to have no contact with the victim. A preliminary hearing is set for next month.