A magisterial inquiry has been ordered today into the alleged rape of a mentally challenged girl by two Army jawans and the subsequent ransacking by the Army of a police outpost at Sapkata (N Kokrajhar district), official sources said here. Police also registered a criminal case against the two jawans from the J-K Light Infantry based at Sapkata.The jawans reportedly made their way to the girl’s Dhuribari house where she was staying with her uncle around noon. The jawans then raped the 21-year-old as her uncle was not at home. He, however, returned while the jawans were in and raised an alarm. The jawans left immediately but warned him against informing the authorities.The man, however, gathered other village elders, rushed to the Sapkata outpost and registered a case against the jawans. The outpost referred the case to the Gossaigaon police and sent the girl to the Gossaigaon government hospital. Around 8 pm, a group of jawans stormed the outpost and ransacked it, destroying official property in the presence of the policemen.The helpless officer in-charge of the Sapkata outpost, however, managed to call up the Kokrajhar SP, who, along with the deputy commissioner, reached the outpost soon.Several women and students’ organisations in Kokrajhar and Gossaigaon today held rallies in protest against the incident.Officers at the Assam Police headquarters today said a case has been registered against the jawans. The Army has instituted an official inquiry; officers said exemplary punishment would be meted out if the charges were proved.
