Assam: Man accused in murder of college student injured in police shooting

Rintu Sarma, an employee of Moridhal College in Dhemaji district, was arrested last month for murdering Nandita Saikia, a student of the same college on August 21

Updated on: Sep 5, 2021, 13:57:34 IST

By Utpal Parashar

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The main accused in the brutal murder of a college student in Assam last month sustained a bullet injury in police firing while he allegedly attempted to escape from police custody on Saturday night, officers said.

Both the accused and the victim were in a relationship and Sarma was upset since Saikia had started to avoid him. (Representative Photo)

“One Rintu Sarma, accused of killing Nandita Saikia of Moridhal College, Dhemaji tried to snatch a police weapon this evening and escape custody. He was injured in police firing in self-defence and to prevent his escape,” special director general of police (DGP), GP Singh, tweeted at 11:00 pm on Saturday.

Giving details of the incident, a senior police officer said on condition of anonymity that Sarma tried to escape while being transferred to police custody. “He was released from judicial custody on Saturday and sent to police remand. When we were taking him for routine medical examination around 10 pm,when he asked for the vehicle to be stopped as he needed to urinate. When he got down, Rintu tried to snatch the weapon of the constable who was accompanying him and tried to flee. He was injured when the police team fired to prevent his escape,” he said.

Rintu Sarma, an employee of Moridhal College in Dhemaji district, was arrested last month for murdering Nandita Saikia, a student of the same college on August 21.

He attacked the victim, her friend and the friend’s father, while they were waiting at a bus stop, with a machete. Saikia, who sustained severe head injuries, died on August 26. The other two sustained minor injuries and were recovering.

According to reports quoting Saikia’s friends, both the accused and the victim were in a relationship and Sarma was upset since Saikia had started to avoid him. The accused was arrested within minutes of the incident.

The incident led to demonstrations by student bodies and residents demanding strictest punishment for Sarma. Opposition parties, Congress and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government of failing to protect women in the state.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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