By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The Fast Track Court (FTC), Jowai on Thursday rejected the plea to examine the first two witnesses of the rape of a 14-year-old minor by one Small Phawa in Jowai in 2011.
The plea made by the public prosecutor (PP) two weeks back to examine the grandparents of the victim, who were the first to know of the incident, was rejected by the Jowai FTC.
The incident occurred in November, 2011 when the 14-year-old was allegedly raped by Phawa at Riat Siatsim, Jowai.
Expressing disappointment over the rejection of the plea, CSWO president Agnes Kharshiing questioned the motive of the investigating officer (IO), Iba Nongrum, in not recording the statement of the victim’s grandparents who could have played a key role in the case given the fact that they were the first to learn about the incident.
The IO had taken statements of only the younger brother and mother of the victim.
“Rape is a very heinous crime perpetrated on a woman or child and it leaves behind shock, trauma, pain and bad memories, and State (Police), being the protector should be the one to delve and search to strengthen the evidence to nail the culprits so as to ensure safety to the society,” Kharshiing said.
Stating that there is an alarming increase in rape cases in the State, the CSWO president said that such cases should be taken up more seriously and police should have taken more witnesses.
“It is a basic rule that the best available evidence should be brought before the Court…, and if the police have, with ulterior motives, not taken the grandparents as witnesses, it is the duty of the prosecution and the Court to bring in these witnesses to strengthen the case, especially in this case where the victim is a minor,” she added.