The police have arrested three more persons — two in the city and one in lower Assam’s Bijni town — in connection with Monday night’s molestation of a girl, even as citizens braved rain to take out rallies demanding the immediate the arrest of all the molesters and instigators, and to protest the delay in taking action.
Seven persons have been arrested so far and five identified molesters, including the key accused Amarjyoti Kalita, are still at large. The police have announced a cash award of Rs. 1 lakh to anyone providing information on the whereabouts of Kalita.
The State government has constituted a Special Investigation Team to investigate the incident. The second officer of the Dispur police station, Subham Chandra Baruah, has been suspended for dereliction of duty.
Hundreds of people, led by RTI activist Akhil Gogoi, took out a procession in the city demanding the immediate arrest of all the culprits. They demanded that local television news channel News Live be banned. Mr. Gogoi alleged on Saturday that that a journalist of the channel Gaurav Jyoti Neog instigated the molesters. Mr. Neog resigned on Sunday from the channel.
Managing Editor of News Live Zarir Hussain said: “Gaurav Jyoti Neog resigned today to ensure a free and fair trial. But we stand by our report although we are ready to cooperate with the investigation process, and if anyone is found guilty the law will take its own course.”
Mr. Neog posted on his facebook account: “In the interest of the investigation and morality, I, as you all must be aware by now, have tendered my resignation to News Live…Yes, justice has to be done… if and when I am proven guilty, law should take its own course… I admit that the July 9 incident was a heinous display of humanity, and right or wrong, as a journalist I took the footage… which eventually became a national issue… It is by dint of those visuals that the culprits have been identified… It is a sad day for me, my friends and my family… But what is even more tragic, that in my efforts to expose the perpetrators of the crime on July 9, I myself became victim of a big conspiracy…”
All India Women’s Association general secretary Sudha Sundaram told journalists here that her organisation would pursue the case with the National Commission for Women so that the culprits got stringent and exemplary punishment. She underlined the need for the NCW to take a very clear and assertive role in all cases of violence against women.