
Guwahati: One of the prime accused in the gang rape of a minor, Tafazzul Islam, died today morning as he tried to escape police custody and jumped into a pond. His dead body was recovered after two hours of search by State Disaster Response Force personnel from the pond.

Tafazzul was arrested by Nagaon police yesterday in connection with a gang rape incident that took place in Dhing on August 22, 2024. He was taken to the place of the incident for recreating the crime scene. According to the police personnel on duty, Tafazzul attacked them and tried to escape.
The victim girl was returning home from tutorial classes in the evening hours on the fateful day. At least three local youths riding a two-wheeler chased her and finally overpowered the girl, who was a student of Class X.
Locals found the girl in an unconscious condition on a roadside and sent her to a nearby health centre. Later she was shifted to Nagaon town for better treatment.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Assamese women and students hit the street and condemned the police forces for their failure to protect the women. Angry protesters sat on the road and accused the rapists of being suspected Muslim migrants. They also demanded justice for the victim girl and even raised slogans for an encounter with the rapists.
Following a call by the Dhing unit of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), all commercial establishments and educational institutions were closed in the locality. The protest in Dhing continues today for the second day too, demanding the arrest of two other criminals.
AASU president Utpal Sarma demanded stringent actions against the culprits. He expressed serious concern that the criminals could dare law enforcement agencies and demanded the authorities take serious note of the alarming rise of rape-murder incidents in the State.
Criticizing the State home department for its failure to protect the women in their own places, the AASU chief insisted that the indigenous girls must be safeguarded at any cost.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, also in charge of the State Home portfolio, expressed serious concern over the Dhing incident and Sarma directed the State police chief GP Singh to rush to the location and ensure swift actions against the culprits. He asserted, “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…”.
*Senior journalist
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