An Army officer and his wife have been arrested in Assam for allegedly torturing their underage house help and inflicting severe injuries that included broken teeth and burn marks on her body, said sources. Her medical report revealed a fractured nose and deep cuts on her tongue, police sources said, adding that she was kept without clothes most of the time.
The 16-year-old girl, who had signs of injuries all over her body, was allegedly tortured for six months and starved by the couple. When she requested for food, they would make her eat from the garbage bin, the sources added.
The girl alleged she was stripped and thrashed until she bled, the extent of the torture being such that she was even forced to lick her own blood.
"She kept me locked me in a room, pulled my hair, and beat me. She was angry with my efficiency in household chores and beat me with a belan (rolling pin). She would strip me. She would beat me, and when I bled, she forced me to lick my own blood," the girl recounted the horror.
The accused couple have asserted that the girl incurred the injuries due to falling down from the stairs.
A case has been registered under the stringent POCSO and SC/ST laws and other relevant sections. Charges of assault, unlawful labour, and slavery have also been added, said Mayank Kumar, Superintendent of Police, Dima Hasao.
"The girl informed us that she had been subjected to torture for over six months," Mr Kumar elaborated.
The accused, who holds the rank of Major in Indian Army, had hired the girl for babysitting and taken her to Palampur in Himachal Pradesh where he is posted. It was here that that the girl underwent alleged torture for months.
Upon their return to Assam, she visited her family and disclosed what she went through. A prompt police complaint led to an FIR and the arrests.
The girl's mother told the media she could barely recognize her when she came home. "She only 16 but appeared like an elderly woman. She had broken teeth and burn marks on her face. Her ears were mutilated and had difficulty in speaking," she said.
As the couple was taken to the police station, a woman made their way through the security and slapped the wife, showed a video.
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