Five Manipur students gang rape Tripura woman; 2 held

An official from the Pani Khaity outpost said that a case under relevant sections of BNS and provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act was registered.

Five students from Manipur allegedly gang-raped a 21-year-old Tripura woman, all of whom studied in the same private university in Guwahati, police said on Thursday, adding two of the accused have been detained while others are being questioned.

The woman was under the influence of alcohol and when she woke up the next morning, she realised that she had been raped. (PTI/Representative Image)

All five accused are 17-years-old and they live at a rented house in Guwahati, police said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (East Guwahati), Amitav Basumatary, told HT that the alleged incident took place on last Saturday when a party had been organised at a house.

It was not immediately clear who owned the house.

“The girl lodged a first information report (FIR) at Guwahati’s Pani Khaity outpost on Tuesday and we picked up the five accused, all minors. Two of them have been apprehended and the other three are being questioned,” the DCP said.

Basumatary said the complainant told police that she was under the influence of alcohol and when she woke up the next morning, she realised that she had been raped, he added.

An official from the Pani Khaity outpost said that a case under Section 70 (1) (gang rape) and 3 (5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act was registered. The and the accused were detained from their house.

“We launched an investigation that led to the identification of the five accused. We found evidence against two of them and they were detained on Tuesday. Since they are minors, they were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board,” the official said.

The incident, meanwhile, sparked a row, since all accused are from Manipur with political leaders, including Pradyot Manikya Deb Barma, chairman of Tripura’s Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA Motha), condemning the incident.

“A girl from Tripura was allegedly raped in Guwahati. I have spoken to the victim and offered all help to her. I appeal to everyone to not speculate and ensure that the identity of the girl is not revealed,” the TIPRA Motha chief said in a post on X.

Police said the girl has undergone a medical examination and her statement has been recorded. “We are awaiting the medical report to get a clearer picture of the incident,” an officer said.

The private university, where the accused and the victim study, suspended all five accused boys on Wednesday, citing their involvement in “unlawful activities”. The university said that it will also initiate disciplinary action against the accused.