From Our Correspondent
TURA: The family of the 27-year-old mentally challenged woman, who escaped molestation and rape at the hands of labourers in Tura’s Wadanang locality, has been critical of the delayed action by the Tura police which led to the escape of two accused, including the main culprit.
Speaking to The Shillong Times for the first time following the incident on Friday afternoon in which five labourers tried to commit rape on her younger sister, the elder sister of the victim recalled the turn of events which unfolded that day and says ‘it was a miracle her younger sibling escaped unscathed’.
“Had my young son not been playing in the school premises I don’t know what would have happened to my younger sibling,” a tearful elder sister recalled.
It was during a lookout for her 6-year-old son that she heard her younger sister let out a yell from one of the rooms which prompted her to raise an alarm forcing one of the accused to open the door and flee.
“The main culprit who had taken my sister forcibly into the room managed to escape and he must have fled from Garo Hills by now. He could have been caught if police had reacted promptly,” an unhappy elder sister lamented.
Accusing the Tura police of a delayed response to the whole situation, the family said that it took the local authorities over one hour and forty minutes to reach the place of incident.
“Had police come much earlier the main culprit would not have been able to escape far and the situation would not have escalated further.
“I blame the authorities for the delay and the turn of events. It is very unfortunate,” said the father of the mentally challenged girl.
“When the incident took place I was away from home. Even after I had reached home 30 minutes later I was shocked to see no police presence,” he recalled.
He also criticized the authorities for putting out a wrong report about the molestation report.
It may be mentioned that the Deputy Commissioner had informed presspersons that the situation erupted over rumours of a molestation attempt and the girl being touched by some labourers while helping with some unloading/ loading of materials.
“In view of her fragile mental condition we have never allowed her to work even in the house. How can they say she was helping the labourers? The word rumour is false because they had attempted to harm my daughter. Otherwise why did they take her inside the room and gag her mouth?” questioned the father.
Police inaction and delayed response has plagued the authorities ever since the mob attack outside the Tura Civil Hospital.
In the absence of security personnel on the main road innocent travelers were pulled out of the vehicles and attacked leading to the death of one individual and grievous injury to another. Over a dozen vehicles were also damaged in the stone pelting that erupted as darkness fell.