Guwahati:
10 days after he was caught on camera, smiling as he led a mob of 30 men in molesting a young woman, Amar Jyoti Kalita, remains missing. The chief minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi said on Thursday that Mr Kalita was seen in Mumbai yesterday, but was unable to explain why the man who is the main accused in a crime that has outraged the nation has yet to be arrested.
On July 9, a young woman was leaving a pub in Guwahati with her friends when a group of men fell upon her. A local TV channel filmed the attack, then broadcast it, and since then, has been accused by many including the chief minister of exploiting the atrocity. News Live has denied the charges, saying that its reporters resorted to filming the incident when it became clear they would not be able to rescue the victim. The channel's editor-in-chief, Atanu Bhuyan, has resigned. So has a reporter who was present at the pub and is believed to be a close friend of Mr Kalita.
The chief minister's office, in a grave lapse earlier this week, sent a press statement on his meeting with the victim, and included her photo, revealing her identity. Mr Gogoi later told NDTV that the mistake was made by his office, not him, and an apology from him was therefore not required.
Mr Kalita's Facebook profile has a photo that shows him wearing the same red shirt that he was in during the attack. He refers to himself as James Bond on the social network.