In a surprising turn of events, one of the accused in the gang-rape of a minor girl in Assam's Dhing died by drowning. The police on Saturday recovered his body from a local water body.
Subsequently, two suspects were apprehended by the police during the investigation. One of them, Tafajjul Islam, reportedly tried to jump custody and fell into a pond. However, he could not be saved and the police later pulled his body out.
Nagaon SP Swapnaneel Deka said, "The accused was taken to the crime scene when he pulled away from the official and fell into a pond. We immediately cordoned the area and SDRF was called in. However, his body was recovered after some time."
"The search for the other suspects is also underway and they will be apprehended soon," Deka added.
Notably, the 14-year-old girl, a class 10 student, was returning home from tuition when she was allegedly gang-raped by three men in Nagaon district's Dhing. She was found in a semi-conscious state near a pool.
After some locals spotted her and alerted the police, she was rescued and rushed to Dhing FRU. However, looking at her condition, she was referred to Nagaon.
According to local residents who rescued her, she was lying on the road without any clothing for around an hour before being rescued. "We saw a girl was lying near a pond with her cycle lying beside her. We went to her and asked what happened. She said three men raped her. We demand the culprit to be arrested within 12 hours," they said.
Protests erupted in Dhing after the incident came to light. Student unions including AASU and other civil society organizations called a bandh in the region on Friday. Women and local residents took to the streets to demand justice and arrest of all culprits involved. Roads were blocked by protestors demanding swift action from the government and the police.
Directing the DGP to head to Dhing, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on X, "The horrific incident at Dhing, involving a minor, is a crime against humanity and has struck our collective conscience. We will NOT SPARE anyone & BRING the perpetrators to JUSTICE."