Brutally tortured house help lands in hospital

Police on Friday evening rescued a 10-year-old boy with serious injuries on the head and hands, caused due to alleged torture by his employer in the town.

The boy, Yasin Ali, son of Babul Akter of Char Ananjipur village in Mymensingh Sadar upazila, was working as domestic help at the house of advocate Faruk in Islambagh area of Dinajpur municipality, for the last four months, police quoted the boy as saying.

Faruk's wife Rina Begum, who hails from Mymensingh district, brought him there.

Finding the boy beside a road in Suihari area of Dinajpur, locals informed police and Bishwanath Roy, an SI of Dinajpur Kotwali Police Station, took him to Dinajpur General Hospital around 8:30pm on Friday.

From there he was referred to Dinajpur Medical College Hospital [DjMCH].

"The boy required several stitches on the head and hands. We also found bruises all over his body," Dr Arman of Emergency Ward of DjMCH said. 

The torture has left the boy traumatised, said Dr Borhan, chief of paediatric surgery at DjMCH.

Visiting the hospital yesterday morning, this correspondent saw the boy lying on a bed under the care of nurses.

"On Friday evening, Rina Begum beat me with a steel ladle and forced me out of the house. She used to torture me almost every day. Often she pulled out my hair. They gave me leftover foods," Yasin said in a feeble voice.

He is the second of three siblings and read in Class II. Four months ago, his father, who is a poor rickshaw-puller, sent him to work as a domestic help in Dinajpur at the insistence of Rina Begum's mother, the boy said.

Advocate Faruk said, "I employed the boy at Tk 1,000 per month. My wife often slapped the boy as he used to piss on sofa while sleeping there."

Redwanur Rahim, OC of Dinajpur Kotwali Police Station, said they have asked the tortured boys' parents to come to Dinajpur and lawful action will be taken after their arrival.