By Our Reporter
SHILLONG:Breaking its silence over Ampati twin rape case, Opposition NPP has dragged the Chief Minister’s mother into the controversy saying that the government is dilly-dallying the arrest of the accused as he is a “relative of Dr. Mukul Sangma’s mother Roshanara Begum.”
Nurul Islam, who allegedly raped two sisters in Ampati, the Assembly constituency of Chief Minister Dr Sangma, has been on the run despite issuance of a non-bailable arrest warrant against him.
“It is a matter of great shame that such a crime was committed in the constituency of the Chief Minister and instead of monitoring the situation himself and ensuring that the accused is arrested immediately and brought to book, Dr Sangma is camping in Delhi,” NPP Spokesperson James K Sangma said in a release issued here on Tuesday.
Questioning the soft pedaling and shoddy investigation, Sangma asked “Is the delay caused because as per some reports, the accused Islam is related to the Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma from his mother Roshanara Begum’s side?”
Condemning the hypocrisy of the MUA government on its empty talk on tackling the rising cases of rape in the State, the NPP leader said “The reality is contrary to this because rape cases are rising at a meteoric rate and all the cases of rape are still hanging fire with absolutely no conviction.”
The Government seems to be content with its obligation of giving a meager compensation of Rs. 50,000 to the rape victims, the NPP spokesperson said.
While demanding the government to take this case seriously and immediately arrest Islam and other accused of rape in the state, the NPP believed that the biggest deterrent to such crimes was conviction and punishment, which could only be initiated if the accused is arrested in the first place.
Islam who was the officer in charge of Ampati police station had allegedly molested and raped the two minors at the police station on March 13 and May 31.
Islam was picked up on June 1 on charges of rape and molestation. However, he escaped from police custody from Tura, the district headquarters of West Garo Hills.
The Police Department had issued a look-out notice against the police officer who has been suspended from service and charged under section 376 (2) (1-a) IPC and section 6 and 10 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.
Islam’s bank account with the State Bank of India has been frozen in order to put pressure on him to surrender.