Tribal body to field woman assaulted by mob

The Assam United Democratic Front, a conglomeration of minority political groups, has decided to field a young Adivasi woman, who had hit the headlines in 2007 after being brutally assaulted in Guwahati, as one of its candidates for the forthcoming Lok Sabha election in Assam.

The AUDF, led by perfume tycoon Badaruddin Ajmal, will field Lakshmi Orang from the prestigious Tezpur constituency in north Assam.

Orang was stripped and assaulted on the streets of Guwahati by a rampaging mob on November 24, 2007, when she had come to the city to take part in a march to demand Scheduled Tribe status for her community.

"Putting the tragedy behind her, Lakshmi Orang has now decided to enter active politics to take the long-standing fight of her community to the highest forum of our democracy. She became a member of the AUDF last November and sought party nomination to contest the Lok Sabha polls," informed a senior AUDF leade.

Orang will contest against Congress heavyweight and sitting Member of Parliament Mani Kumar Subba in Tezpur, which has a sizeable number of voters from the Adivasi community. 

The AUDF leader claimed that Orang decided to join the party as it had stood by her family during the crisis.

"Badaruddin Ajmal was the only political leader in the state who has been of immense help to me and my family after the incident. The support extended by AUDF has made my life worth living once again," Orang said.