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CBI probe against Assam minister

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GUWAHATI: The Gauhati high court on Tuesday ordered a CBI probe against state’s hills area development minister Khorsing Engti in a case where two girls charged the minister with torturing them and branding them as ‘witches’ in Karbi Anglong district in 2010. The incident is related to the case of land grabbing in which Engti was allegedly involved.

The division bench of the HC comprising Chief Justice AK Goel and Justice A K Goswami directed the investigation agency to submit its report within three months.

‘The court has taken up the case after the victims wrote a letter to the chief justice seeking justice last year. Since there is an allegation on a minister, we sought a high-level investigation into the case.’

According to the allegations submitted before the court, the minister incited a mob to attack a family to grab their land. The court instructed the district’s superintendent of police to ensure security to one family whose land was allegedly grabbed in 2010.

Engti holds the portfolios of veterinary and animal husbandry, mines and minerals and hill area development.

‘Earlier, a report on the police investigation in the case said the local police did not conduct the investigation properly,” said S Shyam, amicus curiae of the Gauhati high court in the case.

The incident took place in October 2010 when two girls of the complainant family were brutally beaten up by goons. They were rescued by paratroopers passing by in the area.

The complainant family alleged police failed to take prompt action against the minister.

In 2012, the Assam Human Rights’ Commission took up the matter after Nirjatan Birodhi Aikya Mancha, a human rights group, demanded a probe into the incident.

Later, Assam Police conducted a probe into the matter after the AHRC body pointed fingers at police role in the investigation. In its report, police admitted that local cops didn’t act promptly in the incident and didn’t perform a scientific investigation into the case.

Radhika and Gayatri, daughters of Ramchandra Shah, are residents of Pan-Engtigaon area near Howraghat town, 250 km southeast of Guwahati. Their 3.12 kathas of land adjoins Engti’s estate. The HC also asked the SP of Karbi Anglong to provide security to the victim’s family.

‘We are happy that the HC has asked the CBI to probe the matter because both state police and CID here can be managed by these politicians,’ said Sumitra Hazarika, general secretary of Nirjatan Birodhi Aikya Mancha, said.

The Assam Human Rights Commission took up the matter last year and sought an inquiry report from police. (Agencies)

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