Gangrape accused shot at by police while attempting to escape in Assam's Kokrajhar

KOKRAJHAR: A man, who was arrested for his alleged involvement in the gangrape of a girl, was shot at and injured when he attempted to escape from police custody in Assam's Kokrajhar district on Thursday, an officer said.

Addl SP SS Panesar said that the police had arrested the accused, who along with two others had allegedly raped the girl on Monday night, and he was being taken to a place where he had hidden the mobile handset with which they had filmed the rape incident.

As they neared the Dholmara Ranipur tea garden, the accused was showing the spot when he suddenly turned and snatched the service pistol of a police officer and attempted to fire at the police team. Panesar said that another police officer immediately opened fire at the accused to control the situation and the accused sustained bullet injuries in his right leg.

The accused was admitted to the Kokrajhar Civil Hospital for treatment, the ASP added.

The father of the 16-year-old survivor had filed an FIR at Kokrajhar Police Station alleging that three youths had raped his daughter while she was returning from a grocery shop on Monday night in Dholmara village.

The police initially arrested two persons and the next day the third accused was also arrested and cases were registered against them under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

At least 47 people have been killed and 115 injured in police action while allegedly trying to flee police custody or attacking law enforcers since the Himanta Biswa Sarma government came to power in May last year.