MAJULI: In a shocking incident that has put the entire Assam to shame, a young girl was allegedly raped by a man in Majuli on Thursday.
According to witnesses, the girl came to Majuli from Hyderabad for some research purposes.
Some passengers who alighted from a ferry at Apholamukh Ghat from Nimatighat in Jorhat saw the girl in a deplorable condition.
There was hardly any cloth on her body and she bore bruises all over. On enquiry, the desolate girl narrated her horrific ordeal, said a local.
She reportedly said that after completing her research work she was on her way to Apholamukh Ghat to take a ferry to Nimatighat for Jorhat.
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She was travelling in an e-rickshaw with a co-passenger. As the road was not so good, the driver asked them to get off at a certain point some distance away from the Apholamukh Ghat.
According to the hapless girl, the area had a dense jungle nearby.
After alighting from the e-rickshaw, as she started walking towards the Apholamukh Ghat to take a ferry, the co-passenger dragged her to the edge of the jungle and allegedly raped her.
The alleged rapist apparently fled into the thick jungle to find an escape route.
After hearing the entire ordeal, the sympathizers who had just alighted from a ferry at Apholamukh Ghat dialled 100 to call the police. But interestingly the number was non-functional.
By that time locals gathered in the area. A benevolent lady came rushing in with a dress and gave the same to the girl.
One of the local residents rushed to the police station to call the police. However, according to witnesses, the police did not arrive even after a long wait.
Frustrated and desperate, one person who was present at the scene of the crime, brought his motorcycle and took the girl on his bike to the police station.
However, he met a police team midway. Now, the girl is in the safe custody of Bongaon police station in Majuli.
Earlier, the girl gave her mobile phone to one of the assembled persons to call up her home and apprise them of the entire episode.
Locals feel if police had arrived on time, the culprit could have been caught. As the culprit has already fled from the scene, now it will be an arduous task to catch him, said a local.
Police have nabbed the driver of the e-rickshaw.