Champa Chettri, a 20-year-old resident of the Margherita town in the Tinsukia district of Assam, went missing on 28 April.
Her family raised an alarm after she failed to return from the beauty parlour where she used to work. Days later, local boys spotted an object floating in the Dihing River near Lama Gaon and informed the police.
On 3 May, Chettri’s charred and decomposed body was recovered from the river. It was found that Chetri had been kidnapped and raped, after which an unsuccessful attempt was made to burn her body before it was dumped into the river.
According to reports in Assam media, the police have arrested two youths – Biswajit Chettri and Moinul Ali of Ledo region. They have been charged under sections 366,376 and 342/34 of the IPC.
The case has created ripples across Assam, where a number of candlelight marches and protests have been taken out against demanding strict action against the accused. The All Assam Gorkha Students’ Union (Union) also called for a 12-hour shutdown in Tinsukia district to protest the incident.
The incident has also sparked a debate around the coverage received by the North-East region in the national media.
