The police had taken the accused, identified as Tafiqul alias Tafazzul Islam, to the scene of the crime near a pond by the roadside in the Dhing area.
Nagaon’s Superintendent of Police, Swapnanil Deka said it was dark when the accused – handcuffed and tied to a rope held by a constable – tried to flee. “After interrogation, he (accused) was taken to the scene of crime. But he attempted to escape and fell into a pond which was full of water. The SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) was informed and it retrieved the body after a search,” he said.
“A constable holding the rope tied to the handcuffs of the accused sustained injuries. We are investigating the incident apart from looking for two other suspects in the case,” Mr. Deka said.
The 14-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by three men riding a two-wheeler on Thursday evening while she was returning home from tuition on her bicycle. Some locals found her lying unconscious after about an hour and informed the police. She was admitted to a local hospital, which referred her to the Nagaon Medical College and Hospital about 25 km away.
The alleged gang-rape triggered outrage across Assam with protestors demanding stringent punishment for the perpetrators.
A molestation accused in another district was shot in the leg while trying to escape from police custody close to midnight on Friday.
A police official in north-central Assam’s Sonitpur district said two young girls on their regular evening walk in Tezpur town were pawed by two men on Friday evening. The girls raised an alarm and the locals caught one of the two men, identified as Shah Rukh Hussain, and handed him over to the police.
The other man, identified as Miraz Ali, escaped but police caught him a few hours later. “He tried to snatch a pistol of one of our men. He was shot in the right leg to prevent him from fleeing. He was admitted to the Tezpur Medical College and Hospital,” a police officer said.
The police also resorted to a cane charge to disperse a mob that surrounded the Mahabhairab police station in Tezpur till 1 a.m. demanding strict action against the molestation accused.
