GUWAHATI: A 15-year-old girl was found dead at her home near National Highway-6 in Assam’s Hailakandi district on Saturday night, August 1, with her family alleging that she was raped and murdered.
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Police said four persons have been detained in connection with the incident, while the allegations of sexual assault are yet to be medically confirmed.
The incident took place in the Aloichora area under Katlichera police station at around 11 PM. According to the victim’s family, they were attending a feast at a nearby relative’s house when the incident took place.
The victim’s mother said the girl’s body was lying on the floor, almost unrecognisable. She demanded strict punishment for those responsible.
"It was horrible; how can a human treat another human, a little girl, in such a brutal manner," the mother said.
The victim's sister alleged that the attackers used utensils and other objects to mutilate the body after the assault.
Police said they received information about the incident around 12:30 AM. The body was recovered on Sunday morning after protests by family members and neighbours.
"The body has been sent to Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH) for a post-mortem, and we are investigating the matter further," said Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime), Hailakandi, Shamirdapar Baruah.
Hailakandi Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Amitab Sinha confirmed that a case has been registered and four persons have been detained for questioning. He said the allegations of sexual assault would be confirmed only after medical examination and further investigation.
According to the SSP, the victim lived near NH-6, where several of her relatives also resided.
"It is a neighbourhood where many members of the same extended family live together, and her family members were not far away when the incident happened," he said.
Following the incident, locals in Aloichora blocked NH-6 on Sunday morning in protest and initially refused to hand over the body to the police.
Local MLA Milon Das later intervened, following which police were able to transport the body to SMCH for the post-mortem examination.