Silchar: A 15-year-old girl, studying in Class IX, was found dead under mysterious circumstances at her home in Assam’s Hailakandi district on Saturday night, with police arresting five individuals over charges of sexual assault.The minor’s mother, who had gone to a neighbour’s house to attend a traditional post-funeral ritual, returned home to find her teenage daughter lying in a pool of blood. Her alarm drew neighbours, who informed police.While residents alleged that the girl had been sexually assaulted before being killed, police said they will wait for the autopsy report before ascertaining the exact cause of death and whether the victim had been an assaulted or not.Hailakandi SP Amitabh Sinha and senior district officials inspected the scene, before meeting the victim’s family, assuring them of a fair and expeditious investigation.The incident triggered protests, with residents blocking NH-6, which connects Hailakandi with Mizoram, to demand the immediate arrest and exemplary punishment of those responsible. Traffic was disrupted for several hours before police cleared the road.Hailakandi MLA Milon Das visited the family and called for a swift, impartial investigation and stringent action against those found guilty.The body was sent to SK Roy Civil Hospital in Hailakandi for autopsy after the inquest.
