In Assam’s Nagaon, 17-yr-old girl on way home abducted, raped by 2 men: Police

GUWAHATI: A 17-year-old girl on her way home in Dhing area of central Assam’s Nagaon district was abducted and raped by two men on Thursday, the second case to be reported from the area after the rape of a 14-year-old girl in August led to widespread protests.

“The girl was returning home with her younger brother after seeing off their grandmother at a riverside when the two accused, who were known to the victim and were from the same village as her, accosted them and forcibly took her away on a motorcycle,” said Nagaon superintendent of police Swapnaneel Deka said on Friday.

The two men allegedly took turns to rape the girl a short distance away. Once they were done, they left her at the spot. The girl later reached home and narrated her ordeal to her parents.

“The victim and her mother, who are residents of a sandbar, approached the police station and lodged an FIR against the accused. The girl was sent for medical checkup at the Nagaon Medical College and Hospital from where she was sent to a women’s shelter,” said Deka.

Police said efforts were being made to track down the suspects, Ishrafil Hussain and Fuzail Ahmed.

This is the second case after a 14-year-old girl returning home from her tuition classes was abducted by three persons and raped on August 22. The victim was later found in a semi-conscious state with severe injuries.

The incident had led to spontaneous protests, especially by students and women, in the area and in many parts of the state demanding more safety for women and girls and exemplary punishment to the accused. The protests lasted several days.

A day after the incident, one of the accused Tafazul Islam was nabbed by the police. But within hours of his arrest, police claimed he jumped into a pond with cuffed hands to escape and died.

The two other accused, Faridul Islam and Gulap Uddin surrendered about a fortnight later. Both are in judicial custody.