GUWAHATI: In a shocking incident unheard of in these parts, two minor sisters aged 14 and 16 years were found hanging in Abhayakuti Village of Kokrajhar District of Assam late on Friday evening. Kokrajhar Superintendent of Police (SP) Thube Prateek Vijay Kumar confirmed to G Plus that four people have been detained and are being questioned in this connection.
The SP said that preliminary investigations are still underway, and so far there is no clarity on the nature or possible motive behind the incident. “We cannot speculate based on first impressions, but there were no external injuries visible on the bodies,” he told G Plus.
A case has been registered in this connection by Kokrajhar police and the bodies of the minors have been sent to the Kokrajhar Civil Hospital in Assam. Their post mortem reports are expected by Monday, June 14.
“It is impossible to term it as suicide or murder before the post mortem report is available,” the SP added.
Meanwhile, members of the victims’ family have aired suspicions of foul play, indicating the possibility of rape and murder. Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma visited the distraught family of the victims on Sunday, June 13 and reassured swift police action in the matter.
"We're extremely pained at the tragic incident of Abhayakhuti, Kokrajhar,” he tweeted on Sunday.
"I have instructed @assampolice to do an expeditious investigation to unearth the cause of death. The Government will take stringent action, if there is any foul play. If the victims were forced to do self harm, Police shall find the reasons for the same," the tweet went on to say.
The CM reiterated that women’s safety remains a top priority of his government, and no atrocities against the poor would be tolerated.
Although several similar incidents have been reported from various parts of the country in past months and years, Assam and the Northeast have remained largely untouched by such crimes in recent history.