Minor girl raped and murdered; 8 arrested

The rape and murder of a school girl in Tawang district, bordering China, on August 28 and arrest of eight students of her school have sparked a public outcry in Arunachal Pradesh, official sources said.

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Tawang Deputy Commissioner Kemo Lollen said the 15-year-old girl, a student of Government High School and resident of Lhou village, went missing on August 28 and her parents lodged a complaint with police.

Later on the same night, police recovered the naked body of the girl, which had a head injury, from Shyro village located near Tawang town.

Eight students, including a girl, of the same school have been arrested in connection with the incident, sources said.

Angry citizens gheraoed the office of the Deputy Commissioner (DC) and the Tawang police station yesterday demanding that the authorities hand over the arrested to them.

The mob allegedly pelted stones at the DC's office and partially damaged an official vehicle, the sources said.

The citizens also vandalized a Border Roads Task Force (BRTF) labour house suspecting their involvement in the murder, the sources said.

The locals would take out a candlelight march today to pray for the peace of the departed soul and to express solidarity with the bereaved family, sources added.

The situation in Tawang is now under control, the DC said.

This is the first such incident in Tawang, known as the most peaceful district of the state.

The incident was another case of attack on women in the state after the murder of a girl at Yazali recently and attack on a woman journalist Tongam Rina by an unidentified gunman in Itanagar on July 15.u00a0