Nalbari, July 3: After battling for over a month at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Mridumudra Deka, who was critically injured in the brutal Gangapur attack in Assam's Nalbari district, succumbed to her injuries on Friday.
Deka passed away at around 7.30 am in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where she had been battling for her life since the horrific assault on May 31.
Overcome with grief, her mother said the family had remained hopeful until the very end.
"She fought hard, but in the end God took her away from us. What can I say now? While she was in the hospital, she was recovering and even spoke to us. But gradually she developed an infection the doctors informed us about it," she said.
Deka's mother expressed suspicion that more than one person could have been involved in the attack.
"I believe someone else was with the accused. It is not possible for one person to inflict such grievous injuries on two people on a busy road. I want the authorities to investigate this angle as well," she said.
Mridumudra Deka was allegedly attacked by Roz Ali, alias Asif Khan, on the evening of May 31 at Gangapur. She sustained grievous injuries to her head, face, back and hands.
During the same incident, her cousin Madhurjya Barman, a member of the All Assam Students' Union (AASU), was fatally assaulted.
While Barman, a resident of Balipathar in Chamata, died at the scene, Deka was found critically injured on the roadside and was immediately rushed to GMCH, where she remained under intensive treatment for over a month.
Neighbours described Deka's death as an irreparable loss to the locality, remembering her as a bright and hardworking student.
"We have received the heartbreaking news. Mridumudra was a very meritorious student, and her father raised her through immense hardship. It is a huge loss for our area. I urge the government to take effective measures to ensure such incidents are never repeated," a neighbour said.
The brutal attack had triggered widespread protests across Assam, with AASU leading demonstrations demanding justice for the victims and stricter action against those responsible.
Following the incident, police launched a massive manhunt for the accused. The prime accused, Roz Ali, was later killed in a police encounter in Nalbari district after allegedly attempting to snatch a firearm from police personnel during an operation in a char area of Mukalmua, where he had reportedly been hiding.
Mridumudra Deka's death has now brought a tragic conclusion to a case that drew widespread public attention and reignited concerns over violent crimes against women and public safety in Assam.