Autistic brothers assaulted, burnt with cigarettes at Dehradun boarding school

Two autistic brothers -- aged nine and 13 -- were sexually assaulted and subjected to severe physical and mental torture at an illegally-run boarding school in Dehradun, according to a police complaint filed by their mother.

A 29-year-old hostel caretaker has been arrested in connection with the incident and a case under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has been filed.

The mother had recently enroled her sons after her husband's death, finding it difficult to manage her job and care for her autistic children.

The abuse came to light during a recent visit to the school, Pencil Box, where the children informed her that the caretaker would beat them with an iron rod, burn them with cigarettes, and molest them.

The mother subsequently filed a complaint against the school administration, leading to the arrest of the accused hostel caretaker, Sonu.

The state Child Rights Commission also stepped into the matter, having spoken with the children to ascertain details, and said that the special school was operating without proper permits.

“A woman was running a special school for persons with disabilities, and first of all, it did not have the necessary permissions to operate such a facility. Recently, they hired the accused, Sonu, but his police verification was not done, and we could not find any appointment letters,” said Commission chairperson Geeta Khanna.

The sexual harassment allegations uncovered other irregularities, leading to the closure of the illegally run boarding school.

Police have also seized CCTV recordings from the premises.

(Inputs by Sagar Sharma in Dehradun)

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