“Local police are looking for the accused, Zakir Hussain.”

GUWAHATI: A 12-year-old class 5 girl died in Assam’s Nagaon district on Saturday after she was gang-raped by three – two of them juveniles – and set on fire.

On Friday, the Class V student was gang-raped and set on fire by two minors and Hussain. The victim was rushed to the hospital with 90 per cent burn injuries and was battling for life. The girl died on Saturday morning at the BP Civil Hospital in Nagaon. Two of the accused, who are minors and schoolmates of the girl, have been arrested, while the third, Zakir Hussain, is on the run, police said.

“We have raided several locations for the third accused’s hideouts and our search is still on. It’s a watertight case. We are seriously pursuing it and soon we will be able to nab the absconding accused,” Nagaon superintendent of police, Shankar Barata Raimedhi said in his report.

He also said that all the accused were from Lalung Gaon in Nagaon district of central Assam. The incident happened when the girl was alone at her home in Lalungaon village. The three accused barged into her house, raped her, poured kerosene and set her on fire.

Demand for stern action against the accused:

People of Lalunggaon on Saturday destroyed absconder Jakir Hussain’s house. Students’ organisation such as the All Assam Students’ Union carried out protest rallies demanding stern action against the accused.

“The age of the culprits should not come in the way of punishment in such a heinous crime,” junior Railway Minister Rajen Gohain said.

Meanwhile, this is the second case of gang rape in Nagaon district in eight days. Last week on Thursday, a woman was gang raped in Kampur in Nagaon after she and her husband were lured by one Hasmat Ali to spend the night in his house.  The eight accused, who raped her after tying her husband to a tree, were all arrested by the police.