The body of a 21-year-old Adivasi girl was recovered by garden workers at Barbaruah tea estate in Dibrugarh on Saturday.

Family members and local residents alleged that the girl was raped before she was murdered.

The victim used to work as a domestic help in the staff quarters at the Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Ltd (BCPL) township.

According to sources, the incident caused a furore in the area and hundreds of enraged tea garden workers gheraoed Barbaruah police station, seeking punishment for the guilty.

The Assam Tea Tribes Students’ Association threatened to launch a mass agitation if the culprits are not arrested in 24 hours.

“We want that the culprits to be immediately nabbed. The crimes against tea tribes have been rising. We demand that the police arrest the culprits within 24 hours and if they fail to do so, we will launch a mass agitation,” said a leader of the association.

According to her family, the girl went out for work from her residence, situated at No 3 line of the tea estate, around 6.30am on Saturday.

She took a shortcut as always through number 5 line of the garden.

Around 8.30am, some workers noticed the body lying among the tea bushes, with a noose around the neck.

The family members have lodged an FIR at Barbaruah police station, alleging rape and murder.

Monoj Baruah, the officer in-charge of the police station, said, “We have sent the body for post-mortem and are awaiting the report. No one has been arrested so far. The workers informed us about the incident. We rushed to the spot. We suspect it to be murder but cannot say about rape. We have started the investigation and the culprits will be arrested soon.”

Recently, a 40 year-old woman was allegedly gang raped by three men in Bokpara Ghorbondichuk village of Lahowal in Dibrugarh district early on Sunday. The police arrested the three accused.