Ampati twin rape case
New Delhi: While the Meghalaya Government has always maintained that no one is above the law, the Police hierarchy does not think so as it considered ‘not proper’ to arrest the rape accused Officer in Charge of Ampati police station Narul Isam in the presence of his subordinates.
It might sound strange or even bizarre, but true in the matrilineal society of Meghalaya when a rape accused police officer was not arrested in front of his staff since it could ‘disgrace his reputation’. No doubt the accused also later managed to escape and is yet to be arrested.
But the Meghalaya Police, found it ‘not advisable’ to arrest the officer in front of his subordinate staff even though he was charged for raping two minor girls within the police station.
This was the crux of the report of the State Government which further infuriated the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) which was enquiring about the heinous incident.
So much so that the exasperated Commission now feels the stand taken by the State Government and Police might impact the fairness and accuracy of investigation which has already been ordered.
The State Police had defended not arresting the accused police officer Islam inside the police station in front of all his sub-ordinate staff.
“This is highly objectionable and derogatory and the police was more concerned about the impropriety of police personnel who has been accused of a heinous crime,” the Commission said in a report.
This act which had the sanction of the DGP has rather violated the sanctity of the police as an institution, it added.
The Commission further maintained that the police system is in sympathy towards its own staff and this is likely to have an impact on the investigation.
The NCPCR headed by its members Dr Yogesh Dube and VK Tikoo had already summoned Meghalaya Principal Secretary (Home) KS Kropha and DGP Prem Singh and expressed unhappiness over the report submitted by the Police Chief on the rape case earlier.
The Commission had asked for a detailed inquiry at the highest level as to the circumstances under which the children were brought to the police station and the circumstances thereof which led to the escape of the accused.
It even went to the extent of terming the two page report presented by DGP Singh on the incident as ‘incomplete’ and full of ‘gaps’.
The Commission had directed the Principal Secretary (Home) to submit a detailed report of the whole incident within three days along with the action taken report.Instead of the Principal Secretary, it was Commissioner and Secretary (Home) J Lyngdoh who prepared the report and according to the Commission this report too is full of contradictions and lies.
The Commission in an internal report castigated the State Police for ‘failing’ to register a case immediately on the receipt of the medical report of the minor girl even though the sexual intercourse was consensual. There is no statement of the victim on record and there was no female police officer or female social worker.
The Commission also noted that the Police are trying to abdicate itself from some of the charges. The police also found no ground whatsoever for bringing the raped girls to the police station and not starting investigation on their statements, the NCPCP noted.
Making it clear that the Commission has zero tolerance towards Islam, who allegedly raped the two sisters at his office chamber in March this year, the Commission took note of the actions taken by the State Government.
The Commission also took strong exception to the act of police of keeping him in the police quarters instead of locking him up in the police station.