A tragic incident occurred early Tuesday in the Nagaon district of Assam, resulting in the untimely demise of Junmoni Rabha, a woman sub-inspector of the Assam Police. Rabha, who had been involved in several controversies in the past, lost her life in a collision between her car and a container truck. At the time of the accident, Rabha, who was 30 years old, was driving alone in her personal vehicle and was not wearing her uniform.
The collision took place in Sarubhugia village, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Jakhalabandha police station in the Kaliabor Sub-Division. Following the accident, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) will be conducting an investigation into the incident. It is worth mentioning that just a few hours before the tragic accident, an extortion case had been registered against Rabha. Due to these circumstances, her family has expressed suspicions of foul play and has called for an impartial inquiry into the accident.
Junmoni Rabha, often referred to as ‘Lady Singham’ or ‘Dabang cop’ due to her resemblance to popular Hindi police movie characters, had gained a certain level of popularity and recognition during her career. Her sudden demise has left her family, friends, and colleagues in shock and mourning. The investigation into the accident, as well as the extortion case, will hopefully provide answers and bring closure to this unfortunate incident.
Upon receiving notification around 2:30 am, a police patrol team promptly arrived at the scene of the accident and rushed Junmoni Rabha to a nearby hospital. Tragically, the doctors at the hospital declared her deceased, as shared by Officer-in-Charge Pawan Kalita of the Jakhalabandha Police Station.
The container truck involved in the collision, which had a registration number from Uttar Pradesh, was seized by the police. However, the driver managed to flee the scene after the accident, Officer-in-Charge Kalita added.
Superintendent of Police Leena Doley of Nagaon arrived at the location in the morning to assess the situation and gather information.
The police are currently unable to ascertain why Sub-Inspector Rabha was traveling alone in civilian clothing, without any security, in her personal car towards Upper Assam. Her family members have also expressed their lack of knowledge regarding her movements. They suspect foul play and are urging for an impartial investigation to uncover the truth behind her unfortunate demise.
During a media interaction, Sumitra Rabha, the mother of the deceased, alleged that her daughter’s death was a premeditated murder orchestrated by an unidentified group. Sumitra Rabha, along with Junmoni’s aunt Subarna Bodo, appealed to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to initiate an unbiased inquiry into the matter and ensure that justice is served by holding the perpetrators accountable for this “deliberately staged” accident.
Bodo further claimed that on Monday night, a team of senior police officials conducted a raid at Junmoni’s official residence in Nagaon and seized approximately Rs. 1 lakh. Sumitra Rabha was present during the raid. Bodo asserted that the confiscated money belonged to Junmoni’s mother, who had earned it through her small-scale home-based businesses involving poultry and pig farming. She pleaded with the police to return the money so that proper funeral rituals could be performed for the deceased.
Meanwhile, Assam Director General of Police Gyanendra Pratap Singh stated that an FIR had been filed against the now-deceased Sub-Inspector at the North Lakhimpur Police Station on Monday. The FIR included various sections of the Indian Penal Code, such as criminal conspiracy, dacoity, robbery, attempted murder, wrongful confinement, and extortion. The complaint leading to the registration of the FIR was filed by a woman.
Singh emphasized that the police from Lakhimpur and Nagaon districts took appropriate legal action following the registration of the case. In response to requests for a fair investigation into the North Lakhimpur case and the death of Sub-Inspector Junmoni Rabha from various sectors of society, Singh tweeted that the investigation would be transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Assam.
Junmoni Rabha was known for being strict against criminals
Rabha, who was the In-Charge of the Morikolong Police Outpost, has been known for being strict against criminals but she has been in the news 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 the 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 arrested some boatmen for operating country boats with machines fitted illegally and over alleged harassment of the people of Bhuyan’s constituency by her.
As the leaked audio tape had led to a furore, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had then said that an elected representative must be given due respect.
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