A 24-year-old accused in the alleged gangrape of a minor girl in Assam’s Nagaon district died in police custody in the early hours of Saturday.

The accused, Tafazul Islam, reportedly drowned after attempting to flee from police custody by jumping into a pond. He was handcuffed when he purportedly jumped into the water.

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Tafazul was among three individuals accused of the brutal gangrape of a 14-year-old girl in Nagaon’s Dhing area on Thursday.

According to the police, the girl was attacked while returning home from tuition on her bicycle. The assault left her unconscious and severely injured near a pond. She was discovered by locals who promptly alerted the authorities.

Nagaon Superintendent of Police Swapnaneel Deka stated that Tafazul had been taken to the crime scene late Friday night as part of the ongoing investigation.

“When a police team took Tafazul Islam last night to the spot for investigation where the incident took place, the prime accused tried to flee and jumped into a pond located nearby the site,” he said.

The police informed the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and his body was recovered later in the morning.

A police constable who was reportedly holding the handcuffed accused also sustained minor injuries during the escape attempt.

The alleged gangrape, which comes in the wake of nationwide outrage over the brutal rape and murder of Kolkata trainee doctor and sexual abuse of two four-year-old girls in Maharashtra, led to large scale protests in Assam.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, addressing the media on Friday, stressed on swift action in cases of atrocities against women.

“When there is any atrocity against women, we need to take prompt action,” he remarked.

The chief minister also pointed out that the public often reacts strongly when they perceive the government as not taking adequate measures, citing the incident of Kolkata doctor’s rape and murder, which led to nationwide protests.

“…public should see that the government is taking strict action. When people feel that the government is showing laxity, they get angry. When such incidents take place, the government should take very aggressive action. The government in Bengal didn’t do it, so people got angry,” he added.