Assam: After SP, magistrate held in case of sexual assault-murder of minor; CM lauds CID
Guwahati (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that a magistrate was arrested for "compromising his responsibility" in a case of sexual assault and murder of a 13-year-old girl in Darrang district.
The victim girl, who was working as a domestic help, was found dead in the house of her employer in June.
Besides the main accused who is a Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel, several other government employees the then superintendent of police, an additional SP, the officer in charge of the police station concerned and three doctors were already arrested in the case.
Addressing a press conference here, the chief minister appreciated the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for conducting the investigation in a highly professional and scientific manner.
"The magistrate was arrested today. The CID has already arrested the SP, Additional SP (of the district), the OC of Dhula police station and three doctors who had conducted the first post-mortem examination," he said on Friday.
Additional DGP (CID) A Y V Krishna said that the arrested government officials did not follow the norms and gave false reports to close the case as an incident of suicide.
The CID, which formed a special investigation team (SIT) to probe into the case, had on Thursday stated that Ashirvad Hazarika, the local magistrate, was absconding.
Sarma, who also holds the home portfolio, said that this case was very significant in the history of Assam Police as a fresh probe was started as per his instruction more than a month after the victim's last rites were performed.
"This is a rare case in which the body was exhumed and a second post-mortem examination was conducted. We were lucky that the victim was a Christian girl and her body was buried. The way the CID collected forensic and scientific evidence, the entire probe gave a new dimension to the investigation process in Assam Police," he said.
The chief minister lamented that the probe exposed a nexus involving the then SP, ASP, OC, magistrate and government doctors.
On Thursday, the suspended SP Raj Mohan Ray was arrested for allegedly taking Rs 2 lakh as a bribe to dilute the case, CID had said.
Ray had received the money through the then Officer-in-Charge of Dhula police station Utpal Borah who was arrested by the CID on October 31.
The rape and murder case led to outrage in the state. The chief minister visited the girl's family on August 12 following their allegations that the police displayed extreme dereliction of duty in collecting evidence.
The additional DGP (CID) told reporters that a detailed probe and evidence have established the accused men's offences of molestation, murder, destruction of evidence and attempt to rape under several sections of the IPC and POCSO Act.
"It was not a case of death by hanging. The accused hit hard on the girl's head and neck, and then strangulated her with a coconut coir rope after she threatened to tell his wife about the sexual assault," the officer said.
He also said that the CID consulted forensic experts and conducted DNA profiling of the main accused and it matched with the semen found on the undergarment of the victim.
In a detailed presentation, Krishna showed how the agency proceeded to unearth the case.
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Draconian, direct assault on democracy: Left parties on bills to remove PM, CMs over criminal charge
New Delhi (PTI): Left parties on Wednesday said the new bills that provide for the removal of the prime minister or chief ministers arrested on serious criminal charges, are a direct "assault" on democracy and the federal framework, and vowed to oppose it "tooth and nail".
The government plans to introduce three bills in Parliament on Wednesday for the removal of the prime minister, a Union minister, a chief minister or a minister of a state or Union Territory when arrested or detained on serious criminal charges for 30 days in a row
Flaying the move, CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby said on X that "Modi Govt's 3 bills to oust PM, CMs, Ministers after 30 days in custody expose its neo-fascist characteristics. This direct assault on our democracy will be opposed by CPIM tooth and nail. We urge all democratic forces to unite against this draconian move".
"These bills, cloaked as tackling crime in high office, reveal their true intent given the RSS-controlled Modi govt's history of undermining elected state govts. With SIR, they mark a blatant move to subvert our democracy. All democratic forces must resist," he said on X.
CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas called the bills "draconian".
"The new bill by Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah, purportedly in the name of 'public interest, welfare, and good governance,' is, in reality, draconian and designed to destabilize opposition-led state governments while undermining India’s federal structure," Brittas said in a post on X.
"In an era marked by vindictive politics, where central agencies are deployed against opposition leaders, the provisions will be misused for ulterior motives," he said. The CPI(M) leader said the bill’s reference to “constitutional morality” contradicts its spirit, as it deviates from the established principle that disqualification and punishment should be tied to convictions by courts, not merely charges or arrests. "This principle is clearly enshrined in Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act (RPA). In today’s pernicious political climate, where individuals can be easily charged, arrested, and detained for extended periods, this legislation will be weaponised to target political opponents and erode democratic norms," he said.
CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said the bills will sound the "death knell" for federalism.
"Viewed together with the ongoing systematic subversion of the electoral system starting with the appointment of Election Commissioners to the relentless push for 'One Nation, One Election' system, this amendment will sound the death knell for federalism and parliamentary democracy in India," Bhattacharya said.
"Every state government opposed to the BJP's politics and policies will henceforth be rendered permanently destabilised and dysfunctional. Every NDA ally will be on tenterhooks to fall in line with the BJP," he said in a statement.
"The weaponisation of central agencies like ED, CBI, IT, NIA and the abuse of the Constitutional office of Governors in narrow partisan interest, a trend which has been seriously condemned on several occasions even by the Supreme Court, will now gain legal validity with the enactment of this bill," he added.
The three bills were approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday.
These bills are the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill 2025; the Constitution (One Hundred And Thirtieth Amendment) Bill 2025; and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill 2025. The Bills are likely to be referred to a committee of Parliament.
