Kokrajhar, March 29: A 17-year-old tribal girl was allegedly gang-raped and killed on the bank of the Makra in Assam’s Chirang district this morning.
A 12-hour curfew has been imposed in the areas under Bijni and Amguri police station from 6 this evening.
Local residents said the girl, a first year higher secondary student of Amguri Higher Secondary School, had gone fishing in the Makra along with another girl from her village, Boldigami, under Amguri police station in Bijni subdivision, when they were chased by about six to seven youths, suspected to be Bangladeshi migrants, around 9am. The goons caught one of the girls and allegedly gang-raped her before slitting her throat.
The girl died on the spot while her friend managed to escape and inform the villagers.
A post mortem was conducted after which the body was taken to the village.
Chirang additional superintendent of police Taburam Pegu said 14 persons have been picked up.
A social activist in Kokrajhar said, “After the 2012 riots, the situation is still very sensitive in many areas and incidents such as this can trigger a flare-up with anti-socials taking advantage of the situation. The administration should act swiftly and take tough action against those guilty of such an inhuman act.”
In 1996, the rape and death of two girls at Bhumka in Gossaigaon had led to the Bodo-Santhali riots while the killing of four Bodo youths at Joypur in Kokrajhar had led to the 2012 riots in Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri districts.
Residents and organisations like the All Bodo Students Union (Absu) and the All Bodo Women’s Welfare Federation have demanded the immediate arrest of and capital punishment to the culprits. Absu president Promod Boro also demanded a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the girl’s family.
The Absu will stage a protest in front of the office of Chirang deputy commissioner at Kajalgaon, the district headquarters, tomorrow morning.
Bodoland Peoples Progressive Front president Rabiram Narzary, who is a BTC member, has demanded a high-level judicial inquiry. He expressed apprehension that the goons could be out to create communal tension before elections.