GANGTOK, Nov 12 - In a gruesome incident that has sent shockwaves across the State, a 19-year-old girl from Machong in East Sikkim was killed after being allegedly raped.
According to police reports, the teenaged girl was last seen at 3 pm on November 8 going to a nearby forest to collect firewood. When she did not return home in time, her father went out in search and found her in an unconscious state in the forest. She was taken to a public healthcare centre around 6.54 pm. But the girl was declared brought dead on arrival, following which her body was forwarded to the STNM Hospital for further examination.
Initially, the Medical Officer reportedly stated that she had sustained a head injury, which caused her death. But the post-mortem later showed that the cause of her death was strangulation and head injury, with visible signs of sexual assault. A case has now been registered under Section 302 (murder). Earlier, the case was booked under Section 174 (unnatural death).
According to a senior police officer, even Section 376 (rape) may be applied to the case. Meanwhile, there is an outpouring of grief and outrage on the social media with citizens demanding justice for the victim.
The East Sikkim District Police has been posting updates on the case on its Facebook account, and has asked citizens to exercise patience while the investigation is on.
