‘Will write to Gauhati HC for trial of child abuse case in special court’

GUWAHATI: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said he will write to the chief justice of Gauhati High Court, requesting for trial of the case of child abuse by city-based doctor couple in a special court. He directed the police to ensure speedy probe into the case and submit the chargesheet within a month or 45 days.
Sarma said he has been constantly monitoring the case on a day-to-day basis. “We are trying to conclude the case within six months,” he added.
The doctor couple — Waliul Islam, a gastrointestinal and advanced general surgeon, and his wife Sangeeta Datta, a city-based psychiatrist — was arrested on Saturday on charges of abusing their three-year-old adopted daughter, who was rescued by the police on Friday evening from the terrace of the couple’s flat in the city.
They were arrested after preliminary interrogation and based on the medical reports of the child, which revealed worrying injury marks and other facts. Later, a medical examination of the couple’s adopted son, who is about three years old, was also conducted by the police.
Assam DGP GP Singh, while addressing the media on Monday, said the medical reports have established “penetrative sexual assault” for both the children. He said Section 6 (punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act has been added in the existing case against the doctor couple, which has been registered after the girl child was rescued. He added that a separate case will be registered based on the second medical report, which has come after the medical examination of the boy child.
“A team of doctors from different departments conducted the medical examination of the children and gave a detailed report. Based on the reports, we will take action,” he added.
Singh directed Guwahati police commissioner Diganta Barah to ensure foolproof investigation into the case. The CP has also been directed to ensure that nobody goes scot-free if they are actually involved in this crime. “I have directed the CP to file the chargesheet with forensic, circumstantial and corroborative evidence within the stipulated time,” he added.
The doctor couple is currently under police custody while a team of expert doctors from the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital is providing treatment to the rescued children.