Source: Times of India
SHILLONG: The state government has sought a detailed report from the West Garo Hills district administration on an incident of rape of a girl by miscreants from neighbouring Assam in Boldamgre village of the Garo Hills.
Social welfare minister Deborah C Marak convened a meeting with principal secretary (social welfare) PW Ingty and other officials in which they discussed the incident. “We have asked the concerned district administration to submit a report on the unfortunate incident,” Marak told reporters.
The state police have also asked their counterparts in Assam to arrest the absconding accused involved in the case.
“On Sunday morning, over a dozen armed miscreants from the Hat-Singimari region of Assam numbering entered the village and raped an 18-year-old girl in the village, about 12 km from Garobadha town. They also went from house to house attacking people and looting them,” a police spokesperson said.
Reportedly, the girl was attacked by the criminals and she was raped by an unidentified person. The dacoits also took away Rs 7,000 from the house of one Gajang Sangma after assaulting his family members.
Meanwhile, several NGOs, including the North East Network, have condemned the rape.
“It’s shocking that despite evidence of increasing sexual violence against women, the state government has not been able to enforce the anti-rape law strictly. The law puts special onus on the police department to act in cases of atrocities on women,” NEN said.
On the other hand, concern over sexual assaults on minors in Meghalaya is on the rise, with even the state home minister, Roshan Warjri, recently voicing her anguish in the state assembly over atrocities on women perpetuated in random in the state, which, ironically follows a matrilineal system.
Investigation is already underway in the incident of gang rape of a school girl in the Garo Hills a few months ago.