Assam: Doctor, wife arrested for allegedly pouring hot water on minor domestic help

An elderly couple was arrested in Nagaon district in Assam on Saturday night for allegedly pouring hot water on their 12-year-old domestic help, PTI reported, citing the police. Doctor Siddhi Prasad Deuri and his wife Mitali Konwar, who is the principal of Moran College, have been on the run after a case was registered against them.

“The couple, wanted for causing burn injury to the minor domestic help in Dibrugarh, were arrested from Nagaon,” Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) GP Singh said.

On August 27, Dr Deuri had allegedly poured hot water on the boy when he was sleeping in their house in Dibrugarh. Deuri was reportedly in an inebriated state. Konwar who was a witness to the incident is accused of not providing him with medical treatment. The boy has been working as a domestic help at the couple’s Dibrugarh residence for over a year, reported Hindustan Times.

The incident came to light when the District Child Welfare Committee rescued the boy on August 29 after receiving a video from an anonymous person. “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,” Sudipta Ghosh Biswas, member of Dibrugarh child welfare committee, had told Hindustan Times. “The minor, who was traumatised, 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.”

The committee filed a case with the police on August 31. The police have recorded his statement and registered a case against the couple under various sections of the Child and Adolescent Labour Prohibition Act and Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.

When the police went to the couple’s residence to interrogate them, they found that Deuri, a cancer patient, was being administered saline. They had asked the two to report to the local police station at the earliest. The couple, however, instead fled.

Some reports said that the accused was working at Assam Medical College Hospital in Dibrugarh, but the superintendent of the hospital told Hindustan Times that he was not associated with the organisation in any manner.