Assam: Doctor, wife pour hot water on 12-year-old domestic help

By Team Newsable | First Published Sep 3, 2020, 7:03 PM IST

Siddhi Prasad Deori, a retired doctor of the Assam Medical College and Hospital, had, in an inebriated state, allegedly poured hot water on their 12-year-old domestic help while he was asleep in their house. According to reports, the couple has absconded, and a manhunt has been launched to apprehend them.

In a dreadful incident, a doctor and his wife in Assam allegedly poured hot water on their 12-year-old domestic help while he was asleep in their house.

According to a member of the district child welfare committee, the incident took place on the night of August 27 when the minor, who had been employed as domestic help for over a year, was sleeping on the floor late last month (August).

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The minor worked at the residence of Dr Siddhi Prasad Deori, a Dibrugarh-based doctor and his wife Mitali Konwar, is the principal of Moran College.

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Residents of the area had first informed the district child welfare committee on August 29 that the doctor had employed a child labourer. The doctor allegedly tortured the boy constantly, according to the residents. The boy was later rescued by a joint team of the non-profit Childline, the Dibrugarh Child Welfare Committee and the police from the house of the doctor on the same day.

When police went to arrest Deori at his house on September 3, they had to wait for some time since no one opened the door. Later, the police called the magistrate and they scaled the walls of the house and entered the building.

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Dibrugarh Additional Superintendent of Police, Padmanabh Barua, said, “The boy was treated at a child care centre and his statement was recorded, following which a case under sections of the Child and Adolescent Labour Prohibition Act and Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act was registered against the couple.”

“Police personnel had gone to the couple's residence to interrogate them but found that saline was being administered to Deori, who is a cancer patient. They had asked the duo to report to the police station at the earliest,” he added.

According to reports, the couple, however, has absconded and a manhunt has been launched to apprehend them.

Sudipta Ghosh Biswas, member of Dibrugarh child welfare committee on September 2 said, “Based on information about a domestic help being employed at the house, a team of district child welfare committee accompanied by members of Childline rescued the minor on August 29.”

“The minor, who was traumatised, and told us that the doctor poured hot water on him while he was sleeping on the floor of the couple’s bedroom. There were injury marks on the child’s hands, cheek, etc. A medical examination has been conducted and he is at present in our care,” she further added.

Dr Deori was in the news in 2006 when he was suspended from the post of store in-charge of AMCH as he was running a private nursing home in violation of government rules.

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