Guwahati: The death of a college student who succumbed to her injuries in a machete attack by her estranged boyfriend, prompted statewide outrage and anguish.
Nandita Saikia, a BA student at Moridhal College in Dhemaji district in Upper Assam was attacked by Rintu Sharma, who is a non-teaching staff at the same college while she was returning home from her college on Saturday, police said.
Saikia was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Dibrugarh where she died on Wednesday evening. Student of the college said that both Saikia and Sharma were in an affair for some time, but
recently they broke off. The reasons of their break up were not very clear.
The separation angered Sharma, who was a grade four staff at Moridhal College. As the news of Saikia’s death came, people took to social media to express their anger and demanded `exemplary punishment’ for the accused. Influential All Assam Students Union (AASU) also held protests in various parts of the state and demanded punishment for the accused.
“Anguished to learn about the demise of Nandita Saikia, who was undergoing treatment after a heinous attack on her. My deepest condolences to her family and friends. In this hour of grief, I stand in solidarity with her family members,” state cabinet minister Atul Bora tweeted.
While opposition Congress in Assam has hit out at the ruling BJP for the rising number of crimes against women. Assam Congress general secretary Bobbeeta Sharma blamed the government and said it is a worrying development as the broad daylight attack exposes the incompetent administrative system.
