GUWAHATI: Eight people have been arrested by the police in Guwahati since Thursday night in connection with Wednesday’s brutal assault on a youth, who was also stripped naked by a mob.
The 25-year-old victim, Anwar Hussain, was thrashed by the mob at Lal Ganesh area for allegedly teasing a girl. Some policemen were at the spot during the assault but allegedly remained mute spectators.
Later, another group of policemen rescued Anwar Hussain and rushed him to a hospital.
Anwar Hussain hails from western Assam’s Dhubri and ekes out a living in Guwahati by driving a commercial vehicle.
“We have arrested eight people so far and registered a case under Sections 143, 325, 355 and 303 of the IPC. Almost all the accused are from Lal Ganesh area. We are looking for at least three to four others who have gone underground since the incident,” inspector Dilip Bharali told the New Indian Express.
Meanwhile, police were yet to identify the girl who was allegedly teased on the busy road. “We still do not know who she is. Apparently, she is from another locality and left the spot after the incident. Initially, the arrested persons claimed that she was from Lal Ganesh. Later, they said they had no idea about who she was. The accused said they had joined the others in beating up Anwar Hussain on hearing that he had teased a girl of their locality,” Bharali said.
He added that the drivers’ association has assured Anwar Hussain’s family financial support for his treatment.
In a similar incident two years ago in Nagaland’s commercial hub Dimapur, an alleged rapist, hailing from southern Assam’s Barak Valley, was beaten to death by a mob.