GUWAHATI: The Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) in Assam’s Hailakandi district has ordered that a 17-year-old accused in the alleged rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl be tried as an adult.
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According to a statement issued by Hailakandi police, the principal magistrate of the JJB passed the order after considering the heinous nature of the alleged crime, a psychological assessment report, a preliminary assessment report from Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH), and an offence report submitted by the investigating officer.
“Considering the heinous nature of the crime, the psychological assessment report and the preliminary assessment report of the Silchar Medical College & Hospital and also the Offence Report submitted by the I/O of the case, the Principal Magistrate, Juvenile Justice Board, Hailakandi has passed an order the trial of the Child-in-Conflict with Law (CCL) will be conducted as an adult,” police said.
The JJB order comes more than two months after the girl was found dead in her home on the night of August 1 in the Aloichora area under Katlicherra police station. According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Amitab Sinha, the boy was 17 years and five months old when the incident occurred.
He was detained by police in the first week of August, police said.
A case was registered at Katlicherra police station under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 65(1) (rape of a girl under the age of 16), and Section 103(1) (murder), along with Section 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
The incident triggered widespread protests across Assam’s Barak Valley, with residents blocking National Highway-6 and demanding capital punishment for those involved.
Police said they initially detained five persons following the incident. During the early investigation, officers said one of the accused was a minor and that investigators sought permission to have him tried as an adult.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed to investigate the matter.
