A court in eastern Assam’s Dibrugarh district on Sunday sent a doctor and his teacher wife to judicial custody for allegedly pouring hot water on their 12-year-old domestic help.

Dr. Siddhi Prasad Deuri of the Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh and his wife Mitali Konwar, principal of Moran College near Dibrugarh, were arrested at Raha in central Assam’s Nagaon district on Saturday.

They had gone into hiding when child rights activists and local organisations pressured the government for action against them after the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), Dibrugarh rescued the boy on August 29 on the basis of a video received anonymously.

The boy was engaged illegally to wash five cars and take care of the couple’s dogs since April 2019.

The couple had reportedly lain low in West Bengal and were on their way back home as the police had earlier arrested their son and daughter. The doctor and his wife were booked under relevant Sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Child and Adolescent Labour Prohibition Act and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.

“The couple was produced before the local court in the afternoon. The court prescribed judicial custody,” Dibrugarh Superintendent of Police Thube Prateek Vijay Kumar said.

He said the police were investigating the case on the basis of the child’s statement and circumstantial evidence. “Hot water was poured on his back when he was asleep,” he added.

The doctor’s wife was a witness to the incident but reportedly did not try to get him treated.

The police had asked the couple to report to the local police station at the earliest after the CWC lodged a complaint, but they chose to slip out of the town.

“We want justice for the boy and we thank all organisations which stood by him,” said Arpana Bora, a member of the CWC, Dibrugarh and a social activist.

The Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has “taken note” of the incident, a member said.