A tragic incident has shaken the community of Banderdewa town in Lakhimpur district as a 14-year-old girl was discovered dead under perplexing circumstances at Prabin Dhaba, located near the Pathali-Pahar toll gate. The girl's body was found hanging inside the Dhaba.
According to reports, the proprietor of the Dhaba, identified as Prabin Saikia, had allegedly employed the minor girl for labour within the premises. It has been revealed that Saikia, under the guise of providing higher education with full financial support, had obtained permission from the girl's parents to take her under his guardianship. However, instead of fulfilling his promise, the girl was put to work at the Dhaba for the past month and five days.
The father of the victim expressed his shock and disbelief, stating that Saikia had assured him of covering his daughter's educational expenses but had failed to enroll her in school.
In his conversation with the media, the father of the victimized girl expressed his distress, stating, "Prabin Saikia assured me that he would cover my daughter's education expenses and took her under his guardianship. However, he failed to enroll her in school. It was only later that I discovered my minor daughter was employed at the Dhaba, where she had been working for one month and five days. Recently, Saikia called me and requested my presence at the Dhaba with my wife, citing an emergency. He emphasized that no one else should accompany us. Yet, he didn't disclose the tragic incident of my daughter's death at that time. I strongly suspect foul play. My daughter, being a minor, would not have taken her own life. There's definitely something suspicious going on."
On the other hand, concerns regarding foul play have been raised by a relative of the victim, asserting that the girl's quiet and calm nature contradicts the notion of her taking such a drastic step.
"We demand answers from the owner of the Dhaba who promised to take guardianship of the girl and support her education. How could they engage a minor in child labour? This is a conspiracy; I am sure there is something illicit going on in the Dhaba, and thus, she was murdered by the owner," said the relative.
Meanwhile, in response to the incident, a police team led by Officer-in-Charge Hemanta Konwar from the Banderdewa police station promptly arrived at the scene. Legal procedures were initiated, and the deceased girl's body was transferred to Lakhimpur Medical College Hospital for postmortem examination.
