Curfew In Arunachal Town After Mob Killed Teenager Accused Of Sex Abuse

A curfew has been imposed in Roing town of Lower Dibang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh after a teenager was dragged out of a police station and lynched for allegedly sexually assaulting minor girls. The situation in Roing is tense but under control, said the police sources.

Amid the tension, four companies of additional security forces have been deployed in the Roing town.

Arunachal Pradesh Home Minister Mama Natung is in constant touch with administration and police officials, sources said. School authorities will also come under the ambit of investigation, police sources added.

This comes after Friday's incident when a teenager, a migrant worker from Assam, who used to work in the Roing town was lynched to death by an enraged mob. The boy allegedly used to take advantage of lax security to enter the hostel building of the Mount Carmel School late evening and molest and rape girls aged between six and eight.

The Lower Dibang Valley district administration has sealed Mount Carmel School.

Ringu Ngupok, Superintendent of Police of the district, said the administration and police are considering serious action against the authorities of the school and as a first step in this regard the school has been sealed indefinitely.

The incident came to light after parents took their daughters to hospital following complaints of abdominal pain. One of the parents filed a complaint and a First Information Report (FIR) was registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act after which the accused was arrested on Thursday night.

As the number of the alleged victims, believed to be the students of the Mount Carmel School's hostel, rose and the news spread, a mob gathered at the Roing police station, dragged the accused and beat him to death.

By the time additional police personnel and troops from the central forces arrived to control the situation, the teenager had died, the sources said.

According to the post mortem report of the accused, the incident took place on Friday afternoon.

(With inputs from Ripunjoy Das in Dibrugarh)