Two autistic brothers, aged 9 and 13, were allegedly sexually assaulted and burned with cigarettes by a staff member at a boarding school for special-needs children in Dehradun, police said on Sunday.

The children, residents of Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, had been admitted to the facility in April. The abuse came to light on Friday when their mother visited them and noticed signs of distress. The boys reportedly broke down at a family friend’s office in the city and revealed they had been repeatedly assaulted by a staffer from Ghazipur, reported TOI.

Following a complaint by the mother, the staffer was arrested and booked under sections 64(2) (rape) and 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

“The accused was staying at the facility and has been sent to jail.” The children’s statements were recorded with help from translators and the Child Welfare Committee, said SP (City) Pramod Kumar.

Officials seized CCTV footage from the premises, which is housed in a four-room building and was operating as a boarding extension of a prep school for special children located nearby.

Geeta Khanna, chairperson of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR), said the boarding facility was unauthorized and not registered with local authorities. Four children shared a room with the accused, Khanna said, adding that the school was being run under a Delhi-based trust. The woman in charge admitted that Pal was hired on May 16.

Authorities are trying to locate the families of two other children who were also staying at the facility. An investigation is underway.

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