By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: In a welcome respite, the Williamnagar gang-rape victim secured an admission in a school in East Garo Hills, thanks to the intervention of the East Garo Hills district administration.
East Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Vijay Mantri informed on Saturday that to help the girl lead a normal life, the district administration had arranged for the admission in one of the schools in Williamnagar.
Mantri would also act as the temporary guardian of the girl for the time being to ‘instill confidence in her.’
The move of the Deputy Commissioner is also to ensure that there is no harassment met out to the victim while she pursues her studies.
The Deputy Commissioner also told a magistrate in the district that if there are complaints of further threat and intimidation by the surrendered ANVC cadres against the girl and her parents, a non-bailable warrant should be issued against the cadres.
There were reports that the surrendered cadres were intimidating the parents of the girl to withdraw the case.
The Deputy Commissioner maintained that it is illogical to threaten the parents of the victim to withdraw the case as the matter now lies with the Government and law will take its own course.
Mantri further stressed that the girl should be allowed to grow in normal situation to follow her dreams and the shelter home is not an ideal place at the moment considering she wanted to pursue her studies.
Meanwhile, Social Welfare Minister, Deborah Marak said that law will take its own course as far as the case is concerned. She asserted that the Government will take all the necessary steps to help the victim.
The Government had come under flak from various quarters following the reports that the girl was denied admission in the schools in Garo Hills.
Moreover, the NGOs wanted speedy trial of the accused involved in the crime. The case is pending with the fast track court in Tura.
The former Rajya Sabha MP, Robert Kharshiing had sought the intervention of the Supreme Court by way of a PIL to provide justice to the victim. Kharshiing has also raised eyebrows on the governement’s handling fo the issue.
It was on December 13 that the 18-year-old girl was gang-raped by as many as 16 youths, mostly minors, while she was returning from the Williamnagar winter festival, Simsang Festival. Police arrested all the accused and subsequently charge sheeted them.