Guwahati: The last rites of the gang rape suspect have been boycotted by the locals in the Nagaon region of Assam.
The accused, Tafiqul alias Tafazzul Islam, died on Saturday while attempting to escape from police custody.
The accused was taken into custody on suspicion of sexually assaulting a fourteen-year-old girl in the Dhing neighbourhood of Nagaon district while she was returning home after tuition classes.
Police took Islam, a prime accused in the case, to the crime scene near a pond in the Dhing locality where the alleged gang rape happened.
According to police, the accused was taken to the spot to recreate the crime scene when he tried to flee and fell into a pond. Islam was handcuffed, and he drowned in the pond.
Meanwhile, the villagers of Borbheti village in the Dhing locality, where the accused used to live, told the media persons, “We have decided to boycott the last rites of the rape accused. It was a heinous crime, and we do not want this to happen to any girl. Nobody in the village will take part in the last rite of the accused, and we believe that he has got his punishment by God.”
The villagers also claimed that the other two accused persons lived in the nearby areas of the village and should be immediately arrested.
“The locals of this village have taken a pledge that we should not spare any person involved in rape, murder, drug peddling, etc. Therefore, the villagers will also boycott the last rites of the criminals in the coming days,” one of the residents of Borbheti village told reporters.
On the other hand, Swapnaneel Deka, Superintendent of Police in Nagaon district, said, “The accused was brought to the crime scene following questioning. However, he stumbled into a water-filled pond in his hurry to flee. After receiving notification, the State Disaster Response Force searched and found the body.”
Also read – Assam gang rape accused dies by jumping into pond after escaping police custody
“A constable who was holding the rope that was fastened to the accused’s handcuffs was hurt. In addition to searching for two more suspects in the case, we are looking into the occurrence,” Deka stated.
To recall, the minor girl was gang-raped by three persons on Thursday night while returning home from a tuition centre in Dhing area in the Nagaon district. She was on a bicycle when a group of three men attacked her and gang-raped the girl.
The onlookers discovered the girl in a semi-naked state, lying beside a pond in the area. They took her to a nearby hospital and informed the police.
According to police, the molesters left the girl after committing the crime, and she was lying semi-conscious for more than an hour before being rescued by the locals.
Following the incident, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma warned of stern action against the culprits involved in the heinous crime.
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–IANS
