As crimes against women continue to rise, Guwahati residents are left with fear and frustration. While police action has been immediate in some cases, the underlying issues remain unresolved.
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In what should have been a city of growth and opportunity, Guwahati has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons, with a series of crimes against women bringing the city’s safety for the fair sex into question.
A string of crimes against women has cast a shadow over its streets, raising serious questions about safety and accountability. From the moment a girl is born, her journey is fraught with challenges—surviving societal biases, struggling for a basic education, and being reduced to roles of marriage and child-rearing. For many, venturing out alone becomes a perilous act, where danger lurks in the corners of a city that promises so much yet delivers so little.
The recent incidents have turned the spotlight on Guwahati’s failure to provide security for women, making many question whether it is safe for their daughters, sisters, and friends to step outside. For every woman in Guwahati, safety is no longer an assumption but a privilege, one they are desperately fighting to claim.
In the early hours of Friday, December 13, seven individuals were arrested for their alleged involvement in the crime after a video of the incident surfaced. Dharmendra Kalita, a media professional, informed the police about the video at 2:30 AM. Following this, the police teams from Gorchuk and Jalukbari conducted a series of raids, resulting in the arrests of Kuldeep Nath (23), Bijoy Rabha (22), Pinku Das (18), Gagan Das (21), Saurav Boro (20), Mrinal Rabha (19), and Dipankar Mukhiya (21). All the accused are residents of Boragaon and nearby areas.
The victim’s identity has not been disclosed till the time of going to press, and investigations are ongoing. Residents have demanded strict action, with many expressing frustration over recurring incidents of violence against women in the city.
The Boragaon case is not an isolated incident. In November, an 11-year-old girl was allegedly raped repeatedly over months by a neighbour in Guwahati.
On August 9, a 15-year-old girl from Boko, seeking work in Guwahati, was allegedly raped by a ride-share bike rider and later abandoned near the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT). The accused, Fakir Chand Akand, was arrested on August 11.
A 10-year-old girl was sexually abused on July 27 by a 57-year-old man in Kahilipara. The accused, Aftar Ali, was arrested by the Dispur Police.
Other cases, such as the sexual assault of a minor girl by a security guard in Bamunimaidam and the assault of a teenager by a water tanker driver in Chandmari, highlight a trend of rising crimes against women and minors.
On February 7, a 17-year-old girl was allegedly assaulted by a tuition teacher in Nizara Ban Path in Fatasil Ambari, Guwahati. The matter came to light on February 13. An official from Fatasil Ambari Police Station stated, "The incident came to light when the accused took the victim into a dark room and attempted to assault her on February 7." The accused has been identified as Bhaskarjyoti Kalita.
In yet another case on February 2, an individual was sentenced to imprisonment on charges of sexually assaulting his daughter and mentally and physically torturing his spouse. In another judgment passed by the Additional Sessions Judge-cum- Special Judge (POCSO), Kamrup (Metro) on February 5 one Nani Gopal Debnath was sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment for offenses under Section 506 IPC and Section 12 of the POCSO Act, 2012. The case stemmed from a complaint filed on June 9, 2020, by the victim's mother, accusing Debnath of mental and physical torture and attempted sexual assault on their daughter.
While some attribute the problem to societal factors, others point to the lack of effective governance and law enforcement.
Talking to GPlus, Gautam Bharadwaj, a resident in Guwahati, said "Safety depends on individuals. My mother and sister know how to protect themselves, but women should also dress appropriately to avoid attracting unnecessary attention. Men, too, should behave respectfully."
Talking to GPlus, a student from B. Barooah College disagreed, saying, "Women are not safe anymore. I have heard of incidents where girls are harassed in broad daylight. This needs to stop."
Another student from Handique Girls’ College said, "I feel unsafe most of the time. Men stare at us no matter what we wear. Even in public places like buses, their behaviour is uncomfortable."
A 20-year-old student from Arya Vidyapeeth talking to GPlus said, "I moved to Guwahati for my education but don’t feel safe here. In my lane in Rajgarh, groups of boys gather at night and pass inappropriate comments. The government must act on this."
On January 1, Assam Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, proudly declared a sharp decline in crimes against women while addressing the media. "If we look at the crime figures for 2023 in Assam, crimes against women have supposedly dropped from 30,000 in 2021 to just 7,453 in 2023," the chief minister boasted. "This is a drastic reduction," he added, as if the dwindling numbers on paper somehow translate to fewer women feeling unsafe. Sarma went on to trumpet a 50% reduction in the overall crime rate, with total crimes apparently plummeting from 1,33,000 in 2021 to 63,000 in 2023. He also claimed a reduction in the number of pending investigations, from 1,33,000 in 2021 to just 26,000 in 2023, implying that justice is being served faster than ever. It seems, according to the chief minister, that numbers are all it takes to make the streets of Assam feel safer for women.
In August 2024, Sarma declared a policy of zero tolerance for crimes against women. He emphasised that the police are taking “drastic action” in such cases and setting examples with their promptness.
However, activists argue that these claims don’t align with ground realities. “The government says crime has decreased, but we see new cases almost every day. Many incidents go unreported,” an activist said.
Talking to GPlus, a senior police official, speaking on the condition of anonymity said, “We are working to ensure immediate action, but societal change is also necessary to prevent such crimes.”
As crimes against women continue to rise, Guwahati residents are left with fear and frustration. While police action has been immediate in some cases, the underlying issues remain unresolved.
What steps will the government take to ensure the safety of women? Will the city’s administration address societal attitudes that enable such crimes? For the people of Guwahati, these questions demand urgent answers.
