Lynching of rape accused
Guwahati: Though the situation in Dimapur where a rape accused Sayed Sarif Khan was lynched by a mob, has limped back to normal, the internet and SMS services will remain blocked for another 24 hours effective from Thursday even as the district administration in Dimapur has relaxed the prohibitory order under Section 144 CrPC from 6 A.M. till 9 P.M. from Thursday.
“Though the SMS service will be restored on the expiry of 24 hours, the district administration in Dimapur will be requesting the government to continue the block internet services (GPRS)”, said Wabang Jamir, IGP (Range). Internet (GPRS) and SMS/MMS services were blocked since March 7 night after videos related to the lynching of the rape accused in Dimapur were widely circulated on the net.
The police have so far arrested 48 persons for their involvement in the March 5 incident in which an alleged rape accused was lynched.
The police have published photographs of some of the culprits involved in the lynch incident and called for people’s cooperation in nabbing those.
Meanwhile, clarifying on reports published in a section of national media that Nagaland government had submitted report to the Centre saying there was consensual sex, IGP (Range) said that the a section of the media considered only a certain section of the state government’s report to Union Home Minister and changed the whole story.
The report of the Nagaland Government to the Union Home Minister consists of three statements, that of the victim, the accused and the co-accused.
The IGP (Range) while maintaining that the preliminary medical reports conducted at the Dimapur Civil Hospital confirms rape said that the vaginal swabs and other evidences collected from the victim had been sent to Kolkata for DNA test.
Though the evidences were earlier sent to Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Guwahati for test, however due to lack of facility, it was referred to Kolkata for DNA Analysis.
The North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) has called upon the people of Nagaland and Assam to remain restrained and defeat ‘communal forces’ who were trying to whip up communal tension in the area over the isolated lynch incident.
The rape accused who was lynched hails from Karimganj district of Assam and was residing in Dimapur.