‘Burns, cuts, broken teeth’: Army Major, wife arrested in Assam for ‘inhuman torture’ of minor domestic help

According to police, the wife is a local of Haflong and had married the Army Major when he was posted in the district. They had taken the girl, who is from the Kuki community, with them to Palampur in Himachal Pradesh two years ago when he was transferred.

Dima Hasao Superintendent of Police Mayank Kumar said she was handed over to her family earlier this month by the wife, unwell and in a battered physical condition.

“The matter only came to our notice through social media. The girl’s family are very poor and they themselves never approached us. She had been in the hospital for four-five days when someone had the idea of recording her plight and posting it on social media. When that came to our notice, we went to them and got an FIR from the victim,” he said.

The wife was in Haflong at the time, and her husband was summoned there by the police from Himachal Pradesh. They were arrested on September 25.

Kumar said the girl continues to be in a serious condition.

“She was put through inhuman torture for an entire year. She is still in the hospital and there are all kinds of injury marks all over her body. Her body has burn marks, both old and new. There are cut marks all over, including her tongue. Her teeth are broken, her nose is broken, her face is swollen. She is not able to even speak properly now,” he said.

On Tuesday, Rs 50,000 from the Juvenile Justice Fund was handed over to the girl’s family by the district administration and officials said efforts are underway to have additional compensation provided to the family under provision of the POCSO Act and the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.

“On Wednesday there was a meeting of the police and district administration with multiple agencies such as child welfare, social welfare, district child protection units on how to rehabilitate the girl, get her legal aid and gradually help her back into society,” said an official.