Violence against minor girls in Dibrugarh sparks protests & demands for swift justice

Dibrugarh, Sept 26: Two deeply disturbing incidents of violence against minor girls in Dibrugarh district have sent shockwaves through the region, sparking public anger, grief, and widespread condemnation.

In the first incident, the semi-nude bodies of two minor girls, aged 15 and 13, were recovered under mysterious circumstances from a ditch near the Kachari Line of Teenali tea estate, about 55 km from here, under the jurisdiction of Tingkhong Police Station, on September 22. The incident received little attention initially, reportedly overshadowed by a state-wide public mourning following the death of cultural icon Zubeen Garg.

The condition of the bodies and their partial disrobement led family members and local residents to suspect sexual assault followed by murder. Villagers and activists are now demanding a thorough and impartial investigation into what they believe may be a brutal case of rape and homicide.

In a separate incident, a Class IX student from Bipinbagh tea estate, under Tengakhat Police Station and approximately 35 km from Dibrugarh, was waylaid, tied up, dragged, and allegedly sexually assaulted by four unidentified men while she was on her way to school on September 24.

According to local sources, the attackers fled upon seeing plantation workers approaching the area. The traumatised girl was rescued shortly thereafter by the workers, who immediately alerted the estate’s management and fellow labourers. A search was conducted in the tea estate, but the perpetrators remain at large.

These incidents have triggered widespread outrage, especially among the tea tribe community, with student bodies, labour unions, and social organizations demanding urgent government action. Organizations such as the Assam Tea Tribes Students’ Association (ATTSA), All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam (AASAA), Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS), and the Tea Tribes Adivasi Congress have issued strong statements calling for immediate arrest of all culprits, fast-track trials to ensure timely justice and ex gratia compensation to the victims’ families.

They have also called on the State government to strengthen safety measures in vulnerable areas, especially within tea garden communities, which remain under-policed and often neglected.

It is important to note that at least three incidents involving violence against minor girls have been reported from Dibrugarh district in the last three days alone, raising serious concerns over the safety of women and children in rural and plantation areas. Earlier, a Class III girl was allegedly raped and murdered in Dirial tea estate under Duliajan Police Station.