Assam horror: Newly-wed woman gang-raped by husband, friends over dowry

A newly-married woman in Assam was allegedly gang-raped by her husband and his two friends to punish her for not bringing enough dowry from her maternal home.

Guwahati, April 25: As the nation is grappling over an alarming spike in rape cases in the recent times, a shocking case of gang-rape has been reported from Assam. According to reports, a newly-married woman in the northeastern state was allegedly gang-raped by her husband and his two friends to punish her for not bringing enough dowry from her maternal home. The victim sustained severe injuries because of the brutal nature of the crime and is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital.

The crime took place in Assam's Karimganj on April 17, just three days after her wedding. On the basis of her complaint, the husband was arrested on Sunday, said the police. In her complaint to the police, the woman claimed that her husband had demanded gold jewellery as dowry, and when his demand was not met, he along with his friends raped her on April 17.

The incident came to light when she had gone for medical treatment to a government hospital in Karimganj, the police said. Her condition was critical at that time.

On the basis of the woman's complaint, an FIR was filed on April 20 and a hunt is on to nab the other two accused, informed the police. In the last two months, at least 20 cases of rapes of women and girls have been reported from Assam.

"This is absolutely shocking. In the last two months, we have documented at least 20 cases of sexual assault... the reasons are varied but the huge economic and social disparity in Assam is a major factor," Miguel Das Queah, a rights activist from Guwahati, was quoted as saying by NDTV.

In the recent past, we have seen protests taking place in various parts of the country over the horrific rape cases reported from Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua and Uttar Pradesh's Unnao.

Both the cases caught the attention of the nation because of its barbarity and open support for the accused from a section of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). After its "studied silence" over crimes against women, especially minor girls, the Narendra Modi government approved the ordinance to allow courts to award death penalty to those convicted of raping girls under 12 years recently.

The ordinance has got mixed reactions as many feel that laws hold no meaning if the authorities do not bring cases of rapes to justice.