A Gauhati University student died after being found in a critical condition at a homestay in Garal on the outskirts of Guwahati on Saturday, with police arresting the man who was accompanying her, according to officials, reported to PTI.
The victim, who belonged to the neighbouring Dharapur area, was brought to the Garal health centre in the early hours of Saturday, a police official told PTI.
“She was brought from a local homestay, with the authorities of the homestay saying that she and a boy had booked the room. The person who was with her, who claimed to be her boyfriend, has been arrested,” the official said.
The arrested man was identified as Ashik Ali of Garigaon, according to police.
Police have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the woman's death. The homestay owner has also been called for questioning, the official said.
Police's CID and forensic teams visited the room where the woman had been staying and collected evidence, according to the official.
Police also found that the homestay had not collected mandatory identification documents from the woman and the man accompanying her. Action would be initiated against the establishment as per law, the official said.
According to the woman's father, she left home around 5 pm on Friday, telling her family that she was going out to eat with friends.
The father told PTI that around 10 pm, she called her mother and said she would stay at the university hostel with a friend as it was late, something she had done earlier as well.
However, at around 2 am, she called her mother again and said, “they were hitting me and I cannot breathe”.
The family was subsequently unable to contact her, the father said. They immediately went to the Azara police station and later reached the Garal health centre after learning that an injured girl had been brought there, he said.
A homestay employee told PTI that the woman and Ashik had checked into the establishment on Friday evening and had food delivered to their room at around 9.30 pm.
The employee claimed that they heard shouts for help followed by crying sounds in a male voice around 2.30-3 am. Three employees went to the room and allegedly found the woman lying on the floor, with the man holding her and crying, the employee said.
The woman's death prompted a protest by a section of local residents, who temporarily blocked the road leading to the nearby airport and demanded stringent punishment for the accused.
The protesters alleged that the incident was a case of “love jihad” and demanded justice for the woman's family.
The woman's last rites were performed on Saturday evening after her body was handed over to the family following the post-mortem, according to the report.
(With inputs from PTI)