Girl gangraped in Assam, massive protests on streets
Guwahati, Aug 23: A 14-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by three persons in Assam's Nagaon district, triggering massive protests by people on the streets.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma promised that stern action would be taken against the perpetrators.
The girl was allegedly assaulted and raped by three persons while she was returning home from her tuition on her bicycle in Dhing area around 8 pm on Thursday, police said.
Three persons came on a motorcycle and surrounded the girl, who was then allegedly raped by them and left in an injured and unconscious state on the roadside near a pond. The class 10 student was later rescued by locals, who informed the police.
She was initially taken to a health centre in Dhing and later shifted to a hospital in Nagaon for treatment and medical examination.
"The criminals who dared to commit such a heinous crime against a minor Hindu girl of Dhing will not be spared by the law. I have directed the DGP and Water Resources Minister Pijush Hazarika to rush to Dhing and take the toughest action," Sarma told reporters in Hailakandi.
Sarma alleged that after Lok Sabha elections, "a section of members of a particular community have become very active and have been encouraged to commit such crimes. We will, however, come down heavily on the perpetrators and nobody will be spared."
In the last two months, 22 such crimes against women have taken place and this is the 23rd such incident in the state, he added.
"In Lower and central Assam and Barak Valley districts, where indigenous people have become a numeric minority, they are living in constant fear. People outside these regions cannot gauge this harsh reality," he said.
The chief minister urged all to be sensitive about these issues of the indigenous people.
"We should identify the real perpetrators behind these heinous crimes and not be stuck in blaming communities within the Hindu society," Sarma said.
The police said that one person had been already arrested and another detained while a search was on to nab the others.
DGP G P Singh reached Dhing and visited the crime scene along with district police officials.
He also visited the survivor's house and talked to her parents and other family members.
"I have reviewed the incident site and the progress of the investigation which is moving in the right direction. A case has been registered under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and other relevant acts," the DGP told reporters in Dhing.
The police have gathered sufficient evidence and the additional director general of police (special branch) has been requested to provide the technical support regarding the mobile data details which will be made available soon, he said.
The DGP reviewed the situation with IGP (central range) and the district commissioner and also discussed the recurrence of such incidents in some parts of the district.
"Such incidents have earlier occurred in Samaguri, Rupohihat, Dhing, Juria and Lahorighat and I have directed that geo-tagging be done in areas where inter-community interface exists," he said.
"If geo-tagging can be done in the next few days, then we can prepare an area security plan to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future," Singh said.
Besides, the Nagaon superintendent of police has been directed to increase patrolling in the evenings, particularly in areas around girls educational institutions and tuition centres, the DGP said.
A senior doctor of the hospital where the survivor has been admitted said that she is being treated by a multi-speciality team of doctors from the medicine, surgery and gynaecology departments.
"After she was admitted, the sexual offences investigation team conducted all the formalities and the girl was treated by a team of doctors. The necessary tests were conducted and as per the law, some of the reports were handed over to the police," the doctor said.
A team of psychiatrists have also been alerted to provide necessary mental support and counselling to the survivor to help her deal with the trauma, he added.
Meanwhile, people from all the communities hit the streets on Friday morning demanding the arrest of the culprits.
Shopkeepers downed the shutters of their business establishments and social and political organisations demanded stringent action against the culprits and security for women and girls.
Congress MLA from Batadrava, Sibamoni Bora, also joined the protests while Dhing's AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam also condemned the incident and demanded the arrest of the culprits.
Tension prevailed in the area and police patrolling and vigil have been intensified.
Protests were also held in neighbouring Morigaon district.
In Guwahati, Congress workers also staged a protest at the party headquarters against alleged failure of the BJP government in the state to provide security to women and girls.
Earlier, Sarma had said that "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. I've directed @DGPAssamPolice to visit the site and ensure swift action against such monsters," Sarma posted on X.
The horrific incident at Dhing, involving a minor, is a crime against humanity and has struck our collective conscience.
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) August 23, 2024
We will NOT SPARE anyone & BRING the perpetrators to JUSTICE. I've directed @DGPAssamPolice to visit the site and ensure swift action against such monsters.
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Raj Thackeray questions need for NEET, demands Pradhan’s resignation
Mumbai (PTI): Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray on Thursday questioned the need for NEET-UG and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi seek the resignation of Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan.
Thackeray's demand comes amid massive protests over the cancellation of the examination following allegations of paper leak.
The MNS chief said the government is so “obsessed” with bringing everything under a centralised authority that it appears to make no difference if the lives of hundreds of thousands of people are thrown into “disarray”.
In a post on X, Thackeray said that for several years now, a single individual (Pradhan) has remained entrenched in the position of Union education minister. Despite numerous “irregularities” and “scandals” within the NEET framework during his tenure, this “gentleman” continues to occupy the post, he said.
“One wonders: has he been rewarded with this continued tenure because he is so zealously pursuing the agenda of imposing the Hindi language across the entire nation? I earnestly appeal to the Prime Minister: please demand the immediate resignation of this Minister of yours, who has repeatedly toyed with the lives and future of 22 lakh students,” Thackeray said.
The National Testing Agency on Tuesday cancelled the NEET (UG) 2026 exam held on May 3 amid allegations of paper leak, with the government asking the CBI to carry out a comprehensive inquiry into the “irregularities”. The examination for students seeking admission to undergraduate courses in medical colleges will now be held afresh on dates to be notified separately.
Thackeray said the Centre continues its tradition of creating “chaos” in every matter and holding the public to ransom. The “NEET paper leak” has proved this once again, he said.
Thackeray sought to know what the Centre did when it found out the alleged malpractice. It merely cancelled the examination and ordered a CBI inquiry, he said.
In 2024, a CBI inquiry was ordered in a similar case, but nothing substantial was achieved through it, he said.
The government projects an air of having fulfilled its duty in all of this. But what about the lives of 22 lakh students and their families, who have been left hanging in the balance, he asked.
Thackeray said fundamentally, there was no need to “impose” NEET (National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test)-UG back in 2016.
“However, this government’s obsession with bringing everything under a single, centralised authority is so intense that, to them, it seems to make no difference if the lives of hundreds of thousands of people are thrown into disarray,” he said.
The MNS chief also asked ministers within the Maharashtra government to show some “spine” and join voices with those of the southern states and oppose this system.
Thackeray said leaders from the southern states have voiced their opposition in much the same way as he. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay has also demanded the cancellation of NEET. The reason for this is that the five southern states, combined with Maharashtra, collectively possess over 350 medical colleges, whereas the large states in the north have only 180 medical colleges, he said.
Consequently, this persistent push that began in 2016 is essentially an attempt to facilitate the “entry of students from the north into medical colleges in the south”, alleged Thackeray. To ensure this, the largest network of coaching classes has been established in the northern states, he claimed.
