Blind Lead Trust chief shocked at molestation charge
SHILLONG: The US aid worker Theodore Moallem, who was released on bail on Monday after his arrest on Friday for allegedly assaulting his house owner and family at Lachumiere for not providing water, said he was wrongly framed by the ‘powerful’.
Moallem, the Trustee and Cofounder of Blind Lead Trust and the visually impaired reside on the ground floor of Ranee’s Abode, as tenants.
“The powerful owners above us have framed me and I am shocked at the molestation charge”, Moallem said.
Earlier, senior lawyer S P Mahanta’s wife, Venetta Kharsyntiew, who is the house owner, had alleged that Moallem had pushed and assaulted her and daughter , Ranee Kharsyntiew, who is a judicial magistrate and son-in-law Oristar Jala.
Another allegation was the molestation of the magistrate.
Moallem, however, said since the visually impaired tenants were not getting water for consecutive five days, he had gone upstairs and switched on the water pump on June 20.
“When I returned to my room, the house owner and daughter hurriedly came down and hurled abuses and the man (son-law) punched on my chest,’’ Moallem said.
When asked about molestation of Ranee, Moallem said,” Why should I molest someone? What happened was during the argument, I brushed against her hand”.
However, the house owner and the family had claimed that they came under attack from Moallem.
“My name is there in the internet as the one who molested a lady and it will be there forever and what would be the feeling of my mother abroad following this false allegation”, Moallem deplored.
The US citizen, who had also worked in a University in Tamilnadu, said he had always fought against gender discrimination.
No assistance from police
Moallem alleged that there was no help from police at Laitumkhrah police station even after verbal complaints were made against the house owner for not providing water to the visually impaired tenants.
The Blind Lead Trust pays Rs 16,000 as rent.
Moallem also expressed concern over the inaction of the police as they did not help the visually impaired to file FIR at Laitumkhrah police station about the incident. Kamdathmu Langstang, who is part of Blind Lead Trust, said there is rationing of water by the house owner which has affected them.
Despite the humiliations, the Blind Lead Trust does not want to move out of the building as the Trust is registered with the present address at Lachumiere.
“I will continue to work for the visually impaired remaining here”, Moallem said.