CBI probe recommended in female Assam officer death, officials transferred

The Assam Police has recommended a CBI inquiry into the death of female sub-inspector Junmoni Rabha in a purported road accident, DGP GP Singh said on Saturday.

The superintendents of police (SPs) of Nagaon and Lakhimpur districts, where she worked and cases connected to her were lodged, were also transferred, an official order said.

"After reviewing the entire case with the CID and senior officials at police headquarters, I have recommended to the government to transfer four cases related to Rabha to the CBI," Singh said, addressing a press conference.

Rabha, who was also known as "Lady Singham" -- a Bollywood-inspired title for her controversial way of functioning, was killed on Tuesday when her car collided head-on with a container truck in Kaliabor sub-division of Nagaon district.

 

The state CID was initially asked to investigate the case, which has grabbed public attention as Rabha was quite popular.

Singh said the decision to recommend the case to the CBI was taken after considering the public sentiment regarding it.

It was also deemed appropriate to ask a neutral agency to investigate the matter as it involves the death of an officer of the Assam Police, he added.

Of the four cases, three were lodged in the Nagaon district, where she was posted. In one of them, which was lodged on May 5, she was the investigating officer, while two cases are related to her death.

The fourth case was lodged in Lakhimpur against Rabha for alleged criminal conspiracy, dacoity, robbery, attempt to cause death, wrongful confinement and extortion. It was registered on May 15, a day before her death.

Singh said it has been decided to transfer all police officers of Nagaon and Lakhimpur, including the SPs.

Nabaneet Mahanta and Anand Mishra were appointed the new SPs of Nagaon and Lakhimpur, replacing Leena Doley and Bedanata Madhab Rajkhowa, respectively, according to a notification.

Doley will be the new SP of Hailakandi, while Rajkhowa was posted as assistant inspector general (sports).

A purported audio clip of an officer of the Nagaon police station went viral on social media on Thursday where it was claimed that Rabha was physically tortured before her death. PTI could not independently verify the clip's authenticity.

A young man, claiming to be an eyewitness of the accident, said that Rabha's car was stationary when the truck had hit it and two persons had got down from the car before it. He is being questioned by the CID.

The driver of the container truck, registered in Uttar Pradesh, has been arrested and the vehicle seized from the spot.

Rabha, who was in charge of the Morikolong police outpost in Nagaon, was known for her strict dealings but had hit the headlines for her alleged involvement in financial irregularities.

In June last year, she was arrested for alleged corruption in league with her former beau, and was remanded to judicial custody by a court in Majuli district, leading to suspension from service. The suspension was lifted later and she rejoined service.

She was entangled in another controversy in January 2022 when her telephonic conversation with BJP MLA Amiya Kumar Bhuyan from Bihpuria constituency was leaked.

They were engaged in an altercation after Rabha had seized country boats with machines fitted illegally.

After her death, Rabha's family and friends alleged foul play, and her mother filed a complaint at Jhakhalabandha police station in Nagaon, claiming her daughter was murdered.