A man accused of having raped a woman with a mental illness in Assam’s Kokrajhar district was shot and injured in police firing after officials claimed that he tried to flee custody, The Assam Tribune reported.
The shooting occurred amid tensions in Kokrajhar town following protests and communal clashes linked to the alleged rape.
The police claimed that on Sunday, the accused man, Rafikul Islam, was being taken from a “safe zone” location to the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Kokrajhar when he asked for a toilet break near the Rani Ghuli area.
During the stop, he allegedly snatched a weapon from an accompanying policeman, assaulted him and attempted to flee, The Assam Tribune reported.
The police claimed that they fired in retaliation, injuring Islam in the waist. Two police personnel were also reportedly injured.
Islam has been taken to hospital for treatment.
The woman was allegedly raped on Saturday, following which protests broke out in Kokrajhar town, India Today NE reported.
On Sunday night, an old mosque in Kokrajhar town was attacked by a group of people who shouted religious slogans while vandalising the structure.
A picnic bus named Ma Sarada was also attacked during the night. Several students travelling in the bus sustained injuries and were taken to hospital, India Today NE reported.
In view of the violence, the district administration subsequently imposed orders prohibiting public gatherings under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.
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