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Curfew imposed in Arunachal Pradesh town after youth lynched for sexual assault on girls
Curfew was imposed in Roing town in Arunachal Pradesh's Lower Dibang Valley district, police said on Saturday.
Tensions prevailed in an Arunachal Pradesh town on Saturday, prompting authorities to impose a curfew, after a migrant youth from neighbouring Assam was lynched by a mob for allegedly sexually assaulting several girls.
Curfew was imposed in Roing town in Arunachal Pradesh's Lower Dibang Valley district, police said on Saturday.
A mob barged into the police station where the 19-year-old accused, identified as Riaz-Ul Kurim from Bongaigaon, was kept in custody and thrashed him before the personnel could rescue him, according PTI news agency.
As the accused was rescued by police and taken to the hospital, the mob followed him and thrashed him again, ultimately leading to his death.
The parents of the girls, who filed a complaint with the school authorities, were also among the people who nabbed the youth and thrashed him.
Who was the accused
The youth used to work at a construction site near the school, police said.
So far, eight minor girls -- aged between six and nine -- have undergone medical examinations.
Lower Dibang Valley Superintendent of Police Ringu Ngupok, quoted in the PTI report, said the boarders of a hostel of the school were allegedly sexually assaulted over the course of a week by the youth.
The hostel lacked basic safety infrastructure as there were no grills on the windows and no functional locks on the sliding doors, leaving the children exposed and vulnerable, another senior police officer involved in the investigation said.
The accused had unhindered access to the hostel premises, the police officer said, adding that the absence of secure barriers and proper oversight made it easy for him to approach the girls at night.
"A parent-teacher meeting was convened around 6.30 pm on Thursday. Around 8.30 pm, we received information that the parents and relatives of the victims had begun assaulting all the labourers working at the construction site. As tensions escalated, Kurim fled the scene and went missing. We rescued all 17 labourers and later released them after recording their statements," the report quoted the SP as saying.
On Friday, Kurim was found at a nearby colony by the victims' parents and local youths. He was thrashed before the police intervened and took him into custody, he said.
However, the mob followed, barged into the police station, forcibly removed the youth from custody, and assaulted him -- ignoring repeated appeals for calm from the police and even the local MLA, the SP said.
He was rushed to the hospital in a critical condition, but the mob followed again and beat him up. He succumbed to his injuries shortly thereafter.
Police registered multiple cases related to child sexual abuse, and mob lynching, among others. Investigations are also underway against the school and hostel management for gross negligence and failure to ensure the safety of the children.
A curfew was imposed in Roing town and additional security forces were deployed to maintain law and order.
"The situation in Roing remains tense but is under control. The school's hostel has been shut down indefinitely by the district administration and parents have been instructed to withdraw their children and enrol them in nearby government or recognised private schools," the SP said.
