Minister had said Kharir was absent on Dec 15
SHILLONG: Though Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said last week there was no need to drop Home Minister HDR Lyngdoh from the ministry since there was no element of influence, Lyngdoh, however, had defended manager Edmund Kharir, who was recently arrested.
The Home Minister had told reporters on January 4 that as per his information, in the absence of the guest house manager on December 15 night, waiter Usha Deb Barman had sneaked into a room along with the 14-year-old girl and as the client took some time to come, the girl was locked up in the room by the waiter.
He had also admitted that coincidently on the eve of counting of votes for the District Council by-polls on December 15, he and his son had gone to Marvelene’s Inn at Rilbong to meet the counting agents.
However, the recent arrest of Kharir contradicts the claim of the Home Minister regarding the absence of the manager at the Inn on the day of the incident.
Besides Madan Bahadur Thapa, who had raped the girl twice at the Inn, three more persons whom the girl had addressed as Mama (uncle) had committee the same crime at the guest house.
As per police investigation, the manager had the phone numbers of at least five sex workers who had frequented the Inn.