Mawryngkneng gang rape
SHILLONG: The Sordar of Mawryngkneng, Peter J. Lawai, and the Rangbah Dong of Mawmang, Goldenstar Mukhim, were arrested on Friday morning for abetting the rapists of a 17-year-old girl, SP (City) Vivek Syiem told reporters.
The arrests were followed by the surrender of the six accused in the gang rape of the minor girl at Mawryngkneng. The men surrendered before the court of the ADC at 3pm.
“The six accused have been remanded to judicial custody for 14 days. We are going to ask for police custody,” said Syiem.
The victim’s relatives had alleged on Thursday that Lawai (34) and Mukhim (38) tried to bring the affected family to the negotiation table with the accused as one of them was the village headman’s brother.
Speaking of the arrests, the SP said, “The persons arrested in the case were liable for abetment. Facilitating a heinous offence, in this case the gang-rape of a minor that falls under POCSO Act cannot be compromised. Local stakeholders should understand that they cannot compromise the matter,” he added
Syiem informed that the FIR was not rejected in the first instance. “It is not true as there were some corrections that needed to be made. The OC had told her to add more details. He wanted improvements and corrections.” He also refuted the allegations that the police officer at Mawryngkneng did not accept the FIR. “The Sordar was supposed to bring the FIR which he did not do. It was only on January 3 that a teacher from Mawryngkneng came up with the FIR,” he said and added that police started looking for the accused after they were informed but the men had already escaped.
Commenting on the role of traditional heads, the SP said, “It is unfortunate that local stakeholders wanted to effect a compromise. It is also a fact that they offered money which was not accepted by the victim’s family.”
Syiem, however, said the Sordar was present when the crime was reported to police on January 2 night.
“The victim was dragged from the vicinity of her house by six men who are residents of Mawmang on January 1 night. She was taken to a forest and raped and later confined in a rented house of one of the rapists and she could escape from there the next morning,” he said.