Screengrab from a video allegedly showing a mob assaulting a couple over their food outlet. (Photo: AT)

Kona Nadi (North Lakhimpur), June 17: Three days have passed since a mob attacked a young woman entrepreneur in Kona Nadi, Lakhimpur, and the assailants remain unidentified.

Pujashree Gogoi Bora, aged 24, was assaulted and humiliated by a mob on June 14 due to a dispute related to her food business located on National Highway-15. She is still grappling with the emotional aftermath of the incident.

“We returned home due to increasing safety concerns outside Assam, but now we feel unsafe here as well,” Pujashree expressed in an interview on Wednesday.

For the past three months, Pujashree and her husband, Ankur Bora, have been operating a roadside eatery in front of their home in Kona Nadi after returning from Bengaluru, where they spent nearly five years as migrant workers.

“I am being brutally attacked, humiliated, and stripped of my dignity for trying to restart my life in my hometown,” she lamented.

Now, Pujashree is seeking justice for the assault. “I hope my case will be the last instance of disrespect towards women. I want all the perpetrators to face severe punishment,” she stated.

In her complaint filed at the Chawuldhowa Police Outpost, Pujashree identified five alleged attackers: Harakanta Chayengiyah, Tulsi Payeng, Paplu Payeng, Tutu Kaman, and Zerifa Kaman. As of now, Lakhimpur Police have apprehended only Chayengiyah, also known as Chayengia, on June 15, while the other four remain at large. Authorities claim they are actively working to locate them.

This incident highlights the dangers faced by migrants returning home in search of stability, which undermines the government's initiative to encourage reverse migration.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has repeatedly called on young entrepreneurs from Assam to return, promoting the state's business-friendly environment. The Kona Nadi incident emphasizes the urgent need for a more robust administrative response to align with this vision.