23rd August 2024 Nagaon, Assam – Outrage swept across Assam on Friday as protests erupted in multiple towns following the alleged gang rape of a 14-year-old girl in the Nagaon district. The incident occurred on the evening of August 22 in Dhing, a minority-dominated town approximately 25 km from the district headquarters.
The young victim, a Class 10 student, was reportedly waylaid by at least three men while cycling home from her tuition classes. She was discovered lying semi-conscious by the roadside about an hour later by locals who immediately alerted the police. She was quickly admitted to a local health center and later referred to the Nagaon Medical College and Hospital, where doctors confirmed she was out of danger.
The crime sparked widespread protests, with residents in Dhing taking to the streets and shutting down shops and businesses indefinitely. The anger and demand for justice quickly spread to other towns, including Sivasagar, where a recent assault on a 17-year-old girl on August 13 had already heightened tensions. In Sivasagar, the assault had taken a communal turn, with groups representing indigenous communities targeting Marwari people.
Nagaon’s Superintendent of Police, Swapnanil Deka, confirmed that one suspect, Tafiqul Islam, a resident of a nearby village, had been apprehended. Deka assured the public that the police would soon capture the other two suspects, vowing stringent punishment for all involved under the law.
In response to the incident, Assam’s Director-General of Police, Gyanendra Pratap Singh, stated that a case had been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and the newly introduced Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita. The Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, who expressed his outrage over the incident, dispatched Information Minister Pijush Hazarika to Dhing. Hazarika confirmed that efforts were underway to strengthen security around girls’ colleges and hostels across the state.
The Chief Minister also highlighted the recurring nature of such crimes in the Dhing area, noting that this was the 23rd incident since the recent Lok Sabha elections. He pointed to a disturbing trend of increased violence in areas where indigenous people have become a minority, warning that this was a time for Assam’s indigenous communities to recognize their friends and enemies.
The incident has also drawn attention from the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent), which issued a statement demanding capital punishment for those involved in the crime. As Assam grapples with the aftermath of this horrific event, the demands for justice and security for women in the state have never been more urgent.
