OUR CORRESPONDENT
KOKRAJHAR: The All-Assam Tribal Students Union (AATSU) today demanded that the man accused of murdering Susmita Basumatary at Hatigaon in Guwahati recently by an outsider, Akash Prasad, should be punished under the SC&ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
In a statement, the general secretary of the AATSU, Deba Kr Pegu, said that the unclear death of Susmita Basumatary, who lived in a rented house in Hatigoan, Guwahati, has been reported to the Hatigaon police station as case no. 104/2026, which is an offence under section 108 of BNS. It is further alleged that she was sexually assaulted and exploited and deceived, and finally she was allegedly murdered; she did not commit suicide. He also said a key to the gate always remained with Akash Prasad to quietly visit her rented house frequently. He further said her death story was cooked up as suicide, but it is purely a murder case.
Pegu urged the initiation of the relevant provisions of PoA against Prasad and called for fair justice for the victim’s family. The rules of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, especially those in Section 3, apply here and require a detailed investigation and inclusion in the case, along with punishment for certain crimes committed by people who are not from SC/ST communities. He also said that the Hatigaon PS should include the relevant parts of the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, along with the murder section BNS, and make sure all necessary legal actions are taken to get justice for the victim’s family and to charge the accused individuals.
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