Less than a week after a molestation case in Assam provoked a national outcry comes another shocking incident where a young girl was allegedly molested by Army jawans in Shibsagar district.
The victim, whose identity remains undisclosed, was collecting firewood, when a group of Army jawans patrolling the area tried to molest her. The incident reportedly took place near Nitaipukhuri in the sub-district of Demow on Saturday, news agency Press Trust of India said.
The girl's cries for help drew attention from locals who rushed in to save her. Television reports showed villagers beating up a jawan, who was eventually handed over to police authorities and is due for a court trial on Sunday, IBN Live said.
"An Army jawan tried to molest a 23-year-old student in a village when she was out to collect firewood. A case was registered and the jawan has been arrested and will be produced in court. The girl is stable and had filed a complaint of attempt to rape," Sibsagar Superintendent of Police (SP) Akhilesh Kumar Singh was quoted saying to the news channel.
Officials have not revealed the identities of the accused jawan or the other perpetrators involved in the crime. Army sources claimed to be unaware of the incident.
The latest incident served as a close reminder of the spate of attacks on women in the country, and is the second kind to have occurred in Assam this month. Recently, a news channel captured on video a 30-minute attack on a minor, who was stripped and beaten up by a group of men in the Guwahati capital on Monday. Authorities have arrested seven of the accused, and have been issued a 48-hour deadline to nab the other 12 perpetrators of the crime.
