14-year-old gang-raped in Assam; CM Sarma warns of stern action

Guwahati, Aug 23 (IANS) A 14-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped when she was returning home from tuition centre in the Dhing area in Assam's Nagaon district.

According to police, the crime took place on Thursday night when the victim riding on a bicycle was attacked and gang-raped by three men.

The passers-by spotted the girl near a pond in the area and rushed her to a nearby hospital.

After committing the crime, the accused dropped the girl at the spot who was semi-conscious for more than an hour before being rescued by the locals.

The victim is undergoing treatment at a hospital and her condition is stable as of now, doctors attending to her said.

The police jumped into action and arrested two individuals on suspicion of having links with the incident. However, the police did not reveal the details of the arrested persons.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma warned of stern action against the culprits involved in the heinous crime.

He has also instructed the Director General of Police to rush to the crime scene for a quick investigation.

The Chief Minister took to social media platform X and wrote, "The horrific incident at Dhing, involving a minor, is a crime against humanity and has struck our collective conscience. We will NOT SPARE anyone & BRING the perpetrators to JUSTICE. I've directed @DGPAssamPolice to visit the site and ensure swift action against such monsters."

Assam DGP Gyanendra Pratap Singh cancelled his scheduled meetings and rushed to the crime scene. The police have stated that an investigation is underway.

Meanwhile, anger erupted among locals over the incident and they kept the shops and other business establishments closed for the day in Dhing locality as a mark of protest.

The All Assam Students Union (AASU) has criticised the government for the incident and demanded the arrest of the accused within the next 12 hours.