The main accused in the Assam gang-rape case died

The prime accused in a gangrape case in Assam was declared dead on Saturday after trying to escape police custody by jumping into a pond, authorities informed. The incident took place during an investigation at the crime scene. The deceased, identified as Tafazul Islam, was apprehended on August 23, and the cops escorted him to the site where the 14-year-old girl was brutally gang-raped when he attempted to break free from the shackles at 4 am. This led to the police launching a rescue operation, and his lifeless body was recovered from the water following an intensive search lasting for two hours.

“When a police team took him last night to the spot for investigation where the incident took place, the prime accused tried to flee and jumped into a pond located nearby the site,” SP Nagaon Swapnaneel Deka said. Islam was identified by investigators as one of three persons responsible for this horrific act. The horrifying event happened on Thursday night in the Nagaon area of Assam while the young girl was riding her bicycle home from tutoring. She was seriously injured when three attackers on a motorcycle allegedly raped her in the wilderness. Near a pond, the teenage girl was discovered resting in a semi-conscious state.

When other locals saw the girl in a terrible predicament, they reported the event to the authorities. In an effort to find the two other suspects who are still evading, the police have launched a manhunt. The victim is receiving treatment in a medical facility in the Nagaon district, where she is receiving the best care possible from a multispecialty team of physicians. 

Meanwhile, this incident has sparked massive protests in the area on Friday as the public has expressed their anger and resentment. On Friday, the Dhing Regional Students’ Union declared a complete shutdown of Dhing until the police apprehend all the culprits. Calls for justice have intensified as social and political organizations have demanded the arrest of the culprits and improved security for women and girls.

By Banasree Sarkar