Bikram Singh Brahma, a Congress leader from Chirang district of Assam, has been arrested by the police for allegedly attempting to rape a woman.Mr Brahma, who is the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts' (BTAD's) Congress Co-ordination Committee President, reportedly tried to rape the woman in Salbari in Chirang around 2 am this morning.As the woman, who is a mother of two children, raised an alarm, her husband called his neighbours. Angry villagers then took Mr Brahma into their custody and did not let him escape. Local TV channels also showed villagers beating the Congress leader. They later called the police.The woman's husband has lodged an FIR against Mr Brahma; he has however denied the charges against him. Congress leaders in the district called the incident a "political conspiracy" to malign their party's image.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said he was happy the law had caught up with Mr Brahma. "I can assure you that none, whether from the Congress or anywhere else, would be spared," he said.Mr Gogoi said the government will also challenge the acquittal of one person in the molestation of a girl in Guwahati. "I am not happy that there was one acquittal in the case. I have ordered an inquiry to see if there were lapses," he said.