Speaking to INNLIVE, Gogoi said, "it is up to the Nagaland government to come out with the facts. We have received an unofficial report of no rape." The chief minister further said that the accused Syed Khan was not an illegal immigrant and was a citizen of India.
Moreover, the brother of the accused, Jamal Uddin Khan, corroborated Gogoi's remarks, saying his brother had been made a scapegoat in the case and that the police was hand-in-glove with certain Naga groups.
"Is the Nagaland government running a jungle raj? The girl who filed the rape complaint was my brother's wife's cousin. Nagaland police have said that the medical reports say she was not raped," Jamal Khan told INNLIVE, adding that several of his family members were working in the country's armed forces and they were all Indian.
The victim, however, said she was given money by the accused after the assault to remain silent. "Rumours that I did this for money are false. The police arrested him the very same day. I did not think he would be attacked like this," she said.
Khan had been arrested on the suspicion of raping a woman in Dimapur on 24 February and remanded to judicial custody in Dimapur Central Jail the following day.
On 5 March, a mob broke into the jail, dragged him out, stripped him naked, beat him up, pelted him with stones and dragged him towards the centre of Dimapur town, seven kilometres away. On the way he succumbed to his injuries after which the mob dragged the body to a clock tower and displayed it.
Earlier today, Gogoi had said that the security at Dimapur Central Jail, from where the rape accused was dragged out and lynched by a mob, was under central security forces who failed to stop the lynching.
"The security in the jail was under central security forces who failed to stop the lynching. It is the Centre who is responsible for ensuring the security of the inmates," the chief minister said.
Gogoi said he has written to his Nagaland counterpart TR Zeliang to ensure the safety and security of Assamese people in the neighbouring state. The accused, Syed Farid Khan, hailed from Bosla village in Badarpur of Karimganj district of Assam. Zeliang has assured him that all measures would be taken to provide security to their lives and property, the Assam CM said.
Gogoi has also written to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to ensure that proper action was taken against those responsible for the lynching of the rape accused.
The CM further urged Governor PB Acharya, who is also the Nagaland Governor, to take necessary action to ensure that the guilty were booked and punished.
"The suspension of the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police by the Nagaland government was itself an admission of the fact that there was lapse on the part of the administration," he said.
The chief minister said that no one could take law unto their hands, however condemnable the crime of the accused maybe and stern action must be taken against those involved in the 'heinous crime.'
"Whatever the family wants, we will abide by it and the body is expected to arrive in Badarpur this evening," he said.
Protests against the lynching were reported from different parts of the state, including Karimganj, and a strict vigil was being maintained to prevent any untoward incident.
The Nagaland government has instituted a judicial probe into the incident and suspended three top official of the district - the deputy commissioner, superintendent of police and jail superintendent - for their failure to handle the situation.
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