On 28th April, 20-year old Champa Chettri went missing from the Tinsukia district of Assam. Days later, her charred body was discovered floating in the Dihing river near Lama Gaon.
Reports said that Chettri was kidnapped and raped, before her body was burnt and thrown in the river. Police have arrested two suspects.
Incidentally, April 28 was the same date as that of the infamous Kerala rape case.
Champa’s family raised a hue and cry in the Margharite village, where she lived with them, when she failed to return home from the beauty parlour where she worked. On May 3, a charred and decomposing body, identified as that of Chettri was recovered from Dihing river after local residents spotted it.
The case has sparked wide spread protests across Assam. But the complete lack of media coverage is yet another reminder of how little northeast India is covered by the national, mainstream news media.
And there’s been outrage over it on social media also:
Why a complete silence on the rape&death of Champa Chettri in Assam. Just because Assam is not on the agenda of mainstream news channels!
— Romit Sen (@romitsen) May 10, 2016
Why so silent about #ChampaChettri, National news/publications and politicians? Isn’t North-east a part of India? https://t.co/uuPAvaaX6y
— Venice Rowe (@VeniceRowe) May 10, 2016
Champa Chettri is Nirbhaya of Assam. Google it and you will get no links on mainstream media. Shameful silence. @OpIndia_com care to cover?
— Ankit Jain (@AnkitJainIIMA) May 11, 2016
As she isn’t Muslim @BDUTT @TimesNow @abpnewstv NO debates? @OfficeOfRG @ArvindKejriwal will not visit her… https://t.co/pyijZFmnzb
— ajitsinh Jagirdar (@AjitsinhJagirda) May 10, 2016
Assam simmers over brutal rape and murder of Gorkha girl. Delhi Media is as usual inable to go northeast. https://t.co/ATn6gJtn97
— Nikhil Nikunj (@NikhilNikunj) May 10, 2016
The two accused, Biswajit Chettri and Moinul Ali, both from Assam’s Ledo region, have been detained by police and charged under Sections 366,376 and 342/34 of the IPC, local Assamese media reported.