Guwahati, 24 June: Assam police arrested AGP former minister Haji Rauf Chaudhury on Friday and his wife Farhana for allegedly torturing a 12 year old girl.
According to reports, a video of a lady reportedly assaulting a minor girl went viral on social media on Thursday after being uploaded by a resident of Hojai town.
The child helpline intervened and rescued the child on Thursday night as soon as the video got viral. The woman and her husband were taken into custody by Hojai police following the event.
Following an initial inquiry, a case was filed on Friday at the Hojai police station. The pair was later taken into custody and charged under sections 325, 34 and other IPC sections, according to the police.
According to a senior police officer, the duo has also been charged with violating the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986. He announced that they will be presented to the court on Saturday.
The 12-year-old girl has been employed at the former minister’s residence for a few months, according to Chandradhar Bhuyan of the child helpline.
Farhana disclosed to the police that she had adopted the child a year earlier in order to provide for her with a better life and an education. Police claimed that they did not present any adoption documentation.
Farhana before getting detained on Thursday evening, told the media, “The child was not focusing on her study and was not attending classes. One day her school complained to me about how inattentive she is in class. So I beat her and filmed the video intentionally.”
Farhana claimed that her husband had no idea about the video she filmed. Chaudhury also said that he had no idea about the video. “Whatever has happened is unfortunate and nobody should do such a thing,” he said.
Earlier in May this year, Guwahati Police detained a doctor couple for their alleged involvement in a child abuse case.
The accused doctor couple have been identified as Dr. Waliul Islam and Dr. Sangeeta Dutta and as per allegations, the couple tied their little daughter on their terrace in the blaring summer heat.
The entire matter came to light after child rights activist Das took to social media and informed about the incident.
Also read: Minor Abuse Case: Dr Waliul Islam And Caretaker Arrested, Dr Sangeeta Dutta On Run