The prime accused in the alleged gangrape case in Assam’s Dhing, died by drowning while trying to flee from police custody in the wee hours of Saturday as local residents continued with their dharna, seeking the arrest of the other two accused through the day.

The 24-year-old accused, Tafazul Islam, hailed from Borbheti village, about 2km from where three youths allegedly raped the 14-year-old on Thursday evening.

Police said Tafazul was taken to the crime scene around 3.30am when he tried to flee by jumping into a lake in handcuffs. The policeman holding the cuffs “suffered” a minor injury.

The police claimed that they cordoned off the lake and called in the state disaster response force personnel, who later recovered the accused’s body. Tafazul was booked under BNS sections related to rape and Pocso since the victim is a minor. She is recuperating at Nagaon Medical College and Hospital.

However, residents of Dhing in Nagaon district continued with their protests seeking the arrest of the remaining two accused and asserted they would continue it until the duo is arrested. The protesters have been demanding exemplary and swift punishment for the accused.

Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had described the incident as horrific and a crime against humanity on Friday while directing the state director-general of police to visit the site and “ensure swift action against such monsters”.

As the news of Tafazul’s drowning spread, his villagers announced they would neither allow his burial in the public burial ground nor will they participate in his janazah (funeral prayer), besides boycotting his family over his alleged involvement in the crime.

A resident said his family members will perform his last rites in their plot. Tafazul’s body was handed over to the family around 2pm. The local school teacher said the accused did not have any permanent employment. His father was a small-time farmer.

Given the outrage over the alleged rape and the perceived targetting of a “particular community” over the rise in crime against women, the All Assam Minorities Students’ Union (Aamsu) said the “targetting of a community for the crimes committed by a few community individuals was unjustified and unconstitutional”.

Aamsu adviser Ainuddin Ahmed also “appealed and demanded” of the BJP-led state government, Sarma and DGP to ensure the protection of the Muslim population. He also urged Muslims “not to post anything provocative and unconstitutional on social media”.

Aamsu president Rejaul Karim Sarkar, who visited Dhing on Saturday evening to take stock of the situation and participate in a public meeting seeking exemplary punishment in the gangrape case, told The Telegraph that a criminal should not be viewed from the angle of religion and language.

Referring to the chief minister’s remark on Friday that 23 cases of crime against women have been registered post-Lok Sabha results involving a particular community, Sarkar questioned whose duty it is to control such incidents. He said “giving such cases a communal colour will neither help check such crimes nor get justice for the victims”.