Assam moral policing case: 8 held for assault on couple

GUWAHATI, June 26, 2018: Eight persons were arrested by the police on Monday, on charges of thrashing a couple in Nagaon district in central Assam on Saturday night, on the suspicion that they were having an affair.

In an act of moral policing, the couples were beaten up by the villagers and they also and the woman's head tonsured for having an affair.

The arrested were identified as Atul Baruah, 31, Suren Das, 35, Kirti Nath Hazarika, 42, Bhaben Das, 30, Dip Das, 32, Jadab Baruah, 37, Krishna Mohan Nath, 48 and Deben Chandra Das, 38.

All the arrested are residents of Jumurmur village under Kampur police station in Nagaon district where the incident occurred.

A case (number 158/2018) has been registered against them under Sections 147 (rioting), 342 (wrongful confinement), 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 307 (attempt to murder) and 354(B) (assault or use of criminal force to a woman with intent to disrobe) of the IPC.

The incident took place when Ubed Ullah, a resident of nearby Tubuki village, visited the woman's residence at Jumurmur village on Saturday.

"At around 9.30pm, some people assaulted them, accusing them of having an illicit relationship and confined them near the victim's house. On receiving the information about the incident, a team from Kothiatoli police outpost reached the spot at 3.50am on Sunday and recovered both of them," a police source said.

The incident captured had gone viral on social media, the video, showing group of men and women assaulting the duo and tearing off the woman's clothes as both plead with the attackers to spare them

The victims, who were seriously injured, are undergoing treatment at Bhogeswari Phukanani civil hospital in Nagaon.

"The eight accused were picked up in multiple raids. They have been thoroughly interrogated and on finding sufficient evidence against them, they have been arrested," the source said.

Recently, a similar incident had occurred at  Rongjuli in Goalpara a few days ago when a mob beat up an unmarried couple for travelling on a motorcycle.

The side-by-side incidents come on the heels of the lynching of two Guwahati youths on June 8 in Karbi Anglong, on suspicion of their being child-kidnappers.

TNT-The Northeast Today with inputs from The Telegraph