Guwahati case: Assam CM's office victimises the victim

Guwahati, Jul 17: In what can be described as adding insult to injury, the victim of the Guwahati

case has to suffer one setback after other due to the apparent lack of sensitivity by government bodies.

The Class XI student, who was brutally assaulted by a mob of more than 50 men in public, had to face more humiliation when her identity was revealed first by Alka Lamba from fact-finding team of National Commission for Women (NCW) and then by Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi's office.

The CM met the victim of the assault and promised her every possible help to expedite the probe so that all her molesters could be arrested soon. Yet, the CM's office shared the name of the victim and her photograph too with mediapersons.

Later realising the gravity of the situation, the CM's office sent across an e-mail to reporters asking them to protect the girl's identity.

Alka Lamba had earlier named the victim at a packed press conference. In an effort to curb the damage, the NCW removed Lamba, also a Congress leader, from the fact-finding panel.

Taking up the matter and highlighting the lack of sensitivity, the Opposition termed the incident a violation of Supreme Court's order. Quick to react, NCW chairperson Mamta Sharma stated, "We have removed Lamba from the team. She was one of the members of the fact-finding team. It was wrong on her part to publicise the name of the victim. That is the reason she was removed."

Meanwhile, the City SSP Apurba Jiban Baruah was transferred for his indifferent comment where he described the Guwahati case as a stray incident that was hyped by the national media. Following a public outrage after the comment, he was transferred to Dibrugarh and replaced by SP of that city Arabinda Kalita.

The case is turning murkier with every passing day with a total of eight arrests so far. The key accused Amarjyoti Kalita is absconding since the incident took place and reports say that he has been traced to Bhubaneswar. The Odisha police, however, claimed that they haven't received any notification from the Assam police on the matter.

OneIndia News