Migrant youth lynched for sexually assaulting girls, curfew imposed in Arunachal's Roing

Itanagar: Curfew was imposed in Roing town in Arunachal Pradesh's Lower Dibang Valley district as tensions flared after a migrant youth from neighbouring Assam was lynched by a mob for allegedly sexually assaulting several girls, police said.

The 19-year-old man, identified as Riaz-Ul Kurim from Bongaigaon, was taken into police custody on Friday after it came to light that he had allegedly sexually assaulted several girls of a school.

The parents of the girls, who filed a complaint with the school authorities, had nabbed the youth and thrashed him before police rescued him and took him into custody.

However, a mob barged into the police station, dragged the youth outside and beat him up. As he was rescued and taken to the hospital, they followed him and thrashed him again, ultimately leading to his death.

The youth used to work at a construction site near the school, police said.

So far, eight minor girls -- aged between six and nine -- have undergone medical examinations.

Lower Dibang Valley Superintendent of Police Ringu Ngupok said the boarders of a hostel of the school were allegedly sexually assaulted over the course of a week by the youth.

The hostel lacked basic safety infrastructure as there were no grills on the windows and no functional locks on the sliding doors, leaving the children exposed and vulnerable, another senior police officer involved in the investigation said.

The accused had unhindered access to the hostel premises. The absence of secure barriers and proper oversight made it easy for him to approach the girls at night, he added.

"A parent-teacher meeting was convened around 6.30 pm on Thursday. Around 8.30 pm, we received information that the parents and relatives of the victims had begun assaulting all the labourers working at the construction site. As tensions escalated, Kurim fled the scene and went missing. We rescued all 17 labourers and later released them after recording their statements," the SP said.

On Friday, Kurim was traced to a nearby colony by the victims' parents and local youths. He was thrashed before the police intervened and took him into custody, he said.

However, the mob followed, barged into the police station, forcibly removed the youth from custody, and assaulted him -- ignoring repeated appeals for calm from the police and even the local MLA, the SP said.

He was rushed to the hospital in a critical condition, but the mob followed again and beat him up. He succumbed to his injuries shortly thereafter.

A post-mortem examination was also conducted in front of a judicial magistrate at Roing district hospital.

Police have registered multiple cases related to child sexual abuse, and mob lynching, among others. Investigations are also underway against the school and hostel management for gross negligence and failure to ensure the safety of the children.

A curfew has also been imposed in Roing town and additional security forces have been deployed to maintain law and order.

"The situation in Roing remains tense but is under control. The school's hostel has been shut down indefinitely by the district administration and parents have been instructed to withdraw their children and enrol them in nearby government or recognised private schools," the SP said.

A team from the Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (APSCPCR), led by chairperson Ratan Anya and member Nguarang Achung, is also currently in Roing to conduct an independent inquiry into the matter.