Chirang, September 04: The alarming frequency of rape cases in Assam continues unabated. In the wake of the horrific crime in Kolkata that has shaken the nation's conscience, another gang rape case has emerged from Chirang's Runikhata.
A minor girl was allegedly gang-raped by six individuals in a village in the Bengtol subdivision near the Indo-Bhutan border. Police reports indicate that two of the accused are minors.
On Tuesday night, five of the six suspects were apprehended. “We have arrested five individuals, and further inquiries will continue. We can’t reveal much as investigation is ongoing,” stated Chirang Superintendent of Police (SP), Akshat Garg, to The Assam Tribune
The police added that the accused shared an obscene video of the crime on a WhatsApp group after their attempt to blackmail the 16-year-old victim failed.
"The accused are mostly in their twenties and hail from the same village as the victim," said a police official, on the condition of anonymity.
According to the FIR lodged by the victim's family, the crime occurred in August, but the complaint was only recently filed due to threats from the perpetrators.
The family reported that the victim was deeply traumatised and had been pressured by the accused.
"A case has been registered under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act and the BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita). The investigating officers have collected evidence and recorded the statements of the girl and her family members,” SP Garg added.
The crime has outraged the local community, which has condemned the act and demanded severe punishment for the offenders.
Assam has been grappling with a surge in rape cases in recent months. Earlier on August 26, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had revealed that the state recorded a staggering 580 rape cases up to July 2024.
Just days earlier, Sarma had condemned the gang-rape of a 14-year-old girl in Nagaon’s Dhing on August 22, acknowledging that the state had seen 22 to 23 cases of crimes against women in the past two months alone.
