HT CORRESPONDENT
NAGAON, August 24: The prime accused in the rape of a minor girl in Dhing of Nagaon district died on Saturday after jumping into a pond while in police custody.
The accused, identified as Tafajjul Islam, was arrested on Thursday night. However, he jumped into the pond while being taken to the crime scene around 3.30 am for reconstruction of the incident.
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“The accused attacked a policeman, escaped custody, and jumped into the pond. The SDRF was immediately alerted, a search operation was launched, and his body was recovered after nearly two hours. The policeman was also injured and admitted to a hospital,” Nagaon Superintendent of Police Swapneel Deka said.
Deka also stated that the SDRF personnel were called promptly, and Islam’s body was retrieved early Saturday morning.
Meanwhile, local women’s organisations, chambers of commerce, and student groups, including the All Assam Students’ Union and Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad, continued their protests on Saturday, demanding the arrest of the two other suspects who have been absconding since the incident.
The 14-year-old girl was allegedly raped by three persons who came on a motorcycle and surrounded her while she was returning home from tuition on her bicycle at Dhing on Thursday evening.
She was left injured and unconscious on the roadside near a pond, before being rescued by locals who informed police.
Following this, villagers of Borbheti held a meeting on Saturday morning and took three decisions regarding the crime committed by the youth.
“We have decided not to allow his burial in the village graveyard, not participate in his ‘janaza’ (burial prayers) and social boycott of his family”, a village elder Md Shahjahan Ali Choudhury told a news agency.
“The village youth’s crime has shamed us and we cannot allow his burial in the community graveyard”, he added.
A march was also taken out from the village mosque to protest against the incident.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said on Friday that stern action will be taken against the culprits.
Sarma, who is currently touring the three districts in Barak Valley, had said on Friday night that there is a difference between Assam and Bengal in dealing with such cases.
“In Bengal, when women are tortured, the criminals are protected and police take suspicious actions. In Assam, a horrific crime was committed against a minor girl, the accused was immediately arrested”, he said.
Sarma said that he had immediately directed the state Director General of Police to go to the spot and investigate the incident.
A minister was also sent who enquired about the health condition of the victim who is currently recovering in a Nagaon hospital.
Police had arrested one person and detained another while search was on to nab the third.
Director General of Police G P Singh had reviewed the progress of the investigations on Friday. (With inputs from PTI)
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Youth accused of attempting to molest girls shot at
TEZPUR, Aug 24: An accused, arrested along with another person for allegedly attempting to molest two girls, was shot at and injured while trying to escape from police custody on Saturday in Assam’s Sonitpur district, police said.
The duo had allegedly attempted to molest the two girls who were out on an evening walk here on Friday and as they raised an alarm, the local people rushed to the spot.
The accused attempted to flee from the spot but the people chased and nabbed them, Sonitpur Additional Superintendent of Police Madhurima Das told reporters here.
They were later handed over to the police at the Mahabhairab police station, she said.
The youth while being taken to the incident site for investigations attacked the police, seized a pistol from a policeman and opened fire, the official claimed.
The police retaliated by firing back and the accused was injured in one of his legs.
He is currently undergoing treatment at the Tezpur Medical College and Hospital and his condition was stated to be stable, Das said.
The two girls have filed an FIR and the police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), she added.
A group of local residents had surrounded the police station protesting against the incident.
Meanwhile, in Tinsukia, a man was arrested for allegedly attempting to molest a teenage girl in Sripuria area of the town.
The locals reported the matter to the police and a search operation was launched to nab him.
He was arrested along with another accomplice on Friday.
A case has been registered under both the POCSO Act and relevant sections of the BNS. (PTI)
Himanta hints at ‘drastic action’
SILCHAR, Aug 24: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday asserted that his government has a policy of zero-tolerance in dealing with crimes against women and “drastic action” is taken against the culprits in such cases.
He also said the state’s police force is “setting an example” with its prompt action in cases of crimes against women.
“When an incident (like rape) happens in Assam, police take quick action. No compromise is made. When it comes to matters of crimes against women, we have a zero-tolerance policy,” Sarma told reporters.
Referring to the gangrape of a 14-year-old girl in Dhing, the main accused in which died while purportedly trying to escape from police custody, Sarma said, “The incident happened two days back. The police arrested the accused, he tried to escape by jumping into water and died in the process.”
On another case in which a person accused of molesting a girl was injured in police firing while reportedly trying to flee in Tezpur, the CM said, “He tried to escape and was shot.”
