Trafficking case: Mawhati MLA cries political vendetta
SHILLONG: The name of sitting MLA from Mawhati constituency Julius Dorphang has figured in the trafficking case that shocked the State recently.
The State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR), in a series of FIRs filed in the trafficking case at Marvelene’s Inn, has named the sitting MLA based on the statement of the victim. The inn was raided two weeks ago.
The Child Welfare Committee took the statement of the 14-year-old girl on December 19 and based on her statement, the SCPCR has filed around four FIRs so far in this connection with the superintendent of police.
In one of the FIRs, the name of Dorphang has figured and the FIR now has been transferred to Laitumkhrah police station as the place of occurrence in the FIR is said to be Motinagar.
It is learnt that so far as many as four FIRs against some clients and pimps have been filed in this connection.
When asked about invoking the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) against all the accused persons involved in the case, it was informed that POCSO would be invoked only against those clients who had sexually exploited the girl and it would not be invoked against pimps.
It may be mentioned that so far four persons – two women pimps, a hotel employee and a client – have been arrested.
When contacted, Dorphang denied the allegations and termed it “as mere political vendetta”.
“It is a matter of defamation and I don’t know that girl and I have no idea about any such inn,” he said. While the MLA said he used to go to Motinagar, he denied knowing anything about the girl. He said if the girl claimed that she was sexually exploited by him, then why she did not file the FIR that time.
Stating that he was shocked at the report, he said people are trying to tarnish his image since the 2018 elections are approaching. “I have no idea about such thing and I came to know about my name being dragged into this case from my people in the constituency,” he said.
Mystery of ‘M’
The predominance of the letter ‘M’ is a unique characteristic in the trafficking case that has even surprised the police. The case unfolded at Marvelene’s Inn on December 15 and the owner of the hotel happens to be the son of a Minister in Mukul Sangma’s cabinet. Even the three persons arrested in this case so far – Mamuni Parveen, Tarisha Mary Kharbamon and Madan Bahadur Thapa – have ‘M’ in their names. Also, the case has been registered at Madanriting police station in Shillong whose officer in charge is B.K Mishra, who is also investigating the matter. The head of the district police of Shillong is Mariahom Kharkrang.