SHILLONG/ TURA: A minor girl was allegedly raped and murdered by her 26-year-old uncle sparking protest in a village in East Khasi Hills district of the state while a 40-year-old woman was allegedly raped by three visiting traders in a village in West Garo Hills district on Wednesday.
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) and the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) on Thursday held a black-flag rally demanding punishment to Arson Jana, who allegedly committed the crime on February 10.
Jana confessed to the crime after sustained interrogation by the police, according to the headman of the area.
It is alleged that Jana killed his 10-year-old niece when she threatened to tell her mother. He had asked her whom she would disclose the incident to and her reply prompted him to strangulate her.
The headman said the girl’s body was found in an abandoned house in the evening. The accused has been arrested.
The accused had even accompanied the girl’s family members when they went looking for her after she went missing in the evening.
Several hundred students of 10 schools and residents of the village participated in the rally and extended their solidarity.
School students and protesters carried black flags and raised slogans demanding justice. Speakers at the rally condemned the incident.
The JAC consisted of members of the village Dorbar Shnong, Seng kynthei (women’s organisation) and the KSU.
In a similar incident, a 5-year-old was raped by her uncle in a village in West Jaintia Hills in January.
A 40-year-old woman from a village under Dadenggre civil sub-division of West Garo Hills was allegedly sexually assaulted by three persons who came to the village to sell their wares on Wednesday afternoon, a delayed report said.
All three were later caught by villagers and given a sound thrashing before being handed over to police, sources said.
The incident reportedly took place at around noon when the three men entered the village to sell their wares.
They entered the house of the woman and one of the men forced himself on her while his two accomplices held her.
She was able to shout for help and villagers rushed to the scene and caught all the three accused along with the driver of the vehicle they had come in.
While the driver was spared as he was unaware of the motive of his passengers, the three men were beaten by the public and later handed over to Raksamgre police.
The three men identified as Fareed Khan (29), Sheer Khan (25) and Shadab Khan (28), have since been arrested and taken into custody after being treated for their injuries sustained in the public beating.
