Prime accused in Assam rape case dead, villagers refuse burial
Guwahati (PTI): The prime accused in the rape of a minor girl allegedly escaped from police custody, jumped into a pond and died on Saturday morning at Dhing in Assam's Nagaon district, police said.
The villagers of Borbheti, the family home of the accused, have taken a decision not to participate in his funeral prayers and not allow his burial in the village graveyard.
Nagaon Superintendent of Police Swapneel Deka told reporters that the accused, who was arrested on Friday, was taken handcuffed to the location where the crime was allegedly committed for a re-creation of the crime scene around 3.30 am.
"The accused hit out at a policeman, escaped from police custody and jumped into the pond'', Deka said.
The SDRF was immediately informed, a search operation was launched and his body was recovered after nearly two hours, he added.
The policeman was also injured and admitted to a hospital, the SP said.
The other two accused are still absconding and search was continuing with raids conducted at several places on Friday night.
The 14-year-old girl was allegedly raped by three persons who came on a motorcycle and surrounded her while she was returning home from tuition on her bicycle at Dhing on Thursday evening.
She was left injured and unconscious on the roadside near a pond, before being rescued by locals who informed police.
Meanwhile, villagers of Borbheti held a meeting on Saturday morning and took three decisions regarding the crime committed by the youth.
''We have decided not to allow his burial in the village graveyard, not participate in his 'janaza' (burial prayers) and social boycott of his family'', a village elder Md Shahjahan Ali Choudhury told PTI.
''The village youth's crime has shamed us and we cannot allow his burial in the community graveyard'', he added.
Meanwhile, a march was also taken out from the village mosque to protest against the incident.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said on Friday that stern action will be taken against the culprits.
Sarma, who is currently touring the three districts in Barak Valley, had said on Friday night that there is a difference between Assam and Bengal in dealing with such cases.
''In Bengal, when women are tortured, the criminals are protected and police take suspicious actions. In Assam, a horrific crime was committed against a minor girl, the accused was immediately arrested'', he said.
Sarma said that he had immediately directed the state Director General of Police to go to the spot and investigate the incident.
A minister was also sent who enquired about the health condition of the victim who is currently recovering in a Nagaon hospital.
Police had arrested one person and detained another while search was on to nab the third.
Director General of Police G P Singh had reviewed the progress of the investigations on Friday.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
