Guwahati mob molestation: Fourth suspect arrested

Guwahati: One more youth has been arrested on the charge of stripping and molesting a girl in a busy area in Guwahati while 12 others involved in the incident have been identified.

A total of four persons have been arrested in connection with the incident in front of a bar on the Guwahati-Shillong Road on Monday night, which led to a public outcry after a video of the shocking incident was uploaded on YouTube.

"One more person has been arrested and 12 others have been identified," Assam Director General of Police Jayanta Narayan Chowdhury told PTI. "Thanks to the prompt media coverage we have got the video clip of the brawl and have identified 12 of them. We will take strong action against the guilty," the DGP said.

Narrating the sequence of events, Chowdhury said, four girls and two boys, apparently known to each other, entered the bar on Monday night, where they subsequently had a brawl and were forced out by the establishment's security.

"When the six came out on the streets, local people taking advantage of the situation pushed and pulled one of the girls and attempted to strip and molest her," the DGP said. "The police were alerted and they reached the scene immediately after the incident and rescued the girl," he said.

Asked about the safety of women in Guwahati, the DGP said, "This incident does not prove that there are predators lurking in the city."

"This is just an isolated incident when local people took advantage of the situation and indulged in the crime," the DGP said.

One of those arrested earlier was a contractual employee of the Assam Electronic Development Corporation Ltd, Amar Jyoti Kalita, who had also acted in an Assamese serial. The other two arrested were Dhanonjoy Basfor and Bulbul

Das.

They were charged under Sec 341 (wrongful restraint), Sec 143 (unlawful assembly), Sec 294 (obscene act), Sec 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), Sec 354 (assault or criminal force on a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty) of IPC following a written complaint filed by the girl's mother.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has termed the incident unfortunate and said it should not have been allowed to occur. He has also directed the district administration and police to monitor all bars, clubs, discos and hotels.