GUWAHATI: An Army Major and his wife have been arrested in Assam’s Dima Hasao district for brutally torturing a 17-year-old tribal girl, working as a domestic help with them at Palampur in Himachal Pradesh, where the officer is posted, reports Mukut Das.
Police said they received information about the minor’s torture late Sunday and arrested the couple from Haflong the next day. The Major is from Madhya Pradesh while his wife belongs to Haflong.
The duo, booked under various sections of IPC, Pocso Act and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act on charges of sexual harassment, unlawful compulsory labour, criminal intimidation and trafficking, was remanded in judicial custody on Monday.
Dima Hasao SP Mayank Kumar said Wednesday that the medical examination of the girl revealed she had suffered burn injuries, multiple cuts and wounds “from head to toe”. Her nose was fractured and some teeth were also broken.
“She was being subjected to physical torture for the past one year. However, nobody from the girl’s family dared approach police as the family was threatened by the accused,” the SP said.
The girl is in a critical condition and is undergoing treatment at a hospital, Kumar said, adding that her recovery could take a long time.
There has been no official comment from the Army so far, even as sources said the case was the officer’s “personal matter”.
