Assam: Rape and murder accused injured while trying to escape from cops

The accused man was arrested last Saturday for allegedly raping and murdering the girl in a paddy field on June 20

Published on: Jul 2, 2021, 13:00:46 IST

By Utpal Parashar

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A 65-year-old cleric, who was arrested last week on charges of raping and murdering a 9-year-old girl in Assam’s Morigaon district, was injured in police firing early Friday while allegedly trying to flee from custody.

“Syed Ali, accused of rape and murder of a minor girl at Bhuragaon, Morigaon district while being taken for reconstruction of scene of crime tried to escape under the garb of answering nature’s call,” special DGP, GP Singh, tweeted.

“Morigaon police had to use minimum lawful force to prevent escape. He has been injured with bullet injury in the knee and taken to hospital for treatment,” he added.

Also Read | 5-year-old girl allegedly raped, murdered in Dehradun

The accused man was arrested last Saturday for allegedly raping and murdering the girl in a paddy field on June 20. The case had prompted chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to visit the girl’s family and direct the police to speed up the investigation.

The report of the girl’s postmortem examination had revealed that she had been sexually assaulted and the cause of death was strangulation.

Friday’s incident is the fourth instance in the past month of accused persons being injured in police firing while trying to escape custody.

Besides the cleric, three others—a rape accused, a drug peddler and a cattle smuggler—sustained injuries when police fired at them for allegedly trying to escape.

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