Assam orphanage officials held for sexually abusing minor girls

Two officials of an orphanage in eastern Assam’s Dibrugarh town were arrested for alleged sexual abuse of minor girls living there, police said on Tuesday.

Two officials of an orphanage in eastern Assam’s Dibrugarh town were arrested for alleged sexual abuse of minor girls living there, police said on Tuesday.

Rubul Borgohain, 40, superintendent of the Smile Children Home, and supervisor Gitanjali Konwar Dutta, 30, were arrested on Monday evening on a complaint lodged by Gitimallika Gogoi, member of the Juvenile Justice Board, police said.

Gogoi had visited the NGO to teach drawing to the children. During the course of a class, most of the 21 inmates of the home reportedly opened up and related their harrowing experiences to Gogoi.

“Eight girls said they had been sexually exploited by Borgohain for a year. We registered a case against him and the home supervisor under Section 6/17 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act of 2013,” Naba Kumar Bora, officer in charge of Diburagarh police station, said, adding that medical tests would be conducted on the arrested duo.

Dibrugarh district SP Bir Bikram Gogoi said the allegations of custodial sexual abuse were found to be true during interrogation.