SHILLONG: The Women’s Empowerment Committee of the Meghalaya Legislative Committee has slammed authorities including East Khasi Hills police for their lack of professionalism while dealing with the alleged sexual assault of a 14 -year-old minor girl on the night of January 29.
The 14 -year-old minor girl was allegedly drugged and raped after she was kidnapped on Wednesday night. The 14-year-old girl was dumped by the miscreants at Madanrting Bazar on Thursday morning. She had gone out of her home on the outskirts of the city around 6.30 am on Wednesday.
Taking cognizance of the incident, the Women’s Empowerment Committee on Monday called an emergent meeting to discuss the incident and call for action on the matter.
Chairperson of the Committee, Ampareen Lyngdoh later said that the prima face of the incident indicated that there had been an assault on the girl and she was cut throughout her body besides being drugged and gagged.
She also informed that the Committee has decided to call the East Khasi Hills SP, Medical Superintendent of Ganesh Das Hospital, the counsellor and the Child Protection Officer for an update on the entire incident.
Informing that she had an oral discussion with the Officer in Charge of the Madanrting Police Station on the matter, Lyngdoh added that the relatives of the minor were also trying to meet the Medical Superintendent of Ganesh Dash since January 30
Stating that there were serious lapses on the part of the police while dealing with the incident , Lyngdoh said police refused to register a missing complaint and asked the mother of the girl who went to police station to file a missing complaint, was asked by the officer to come back next day with the picture of the girl.
“ As a committee, we have the authority to pull up and call for necessary action and it seems that this case has not been given the due attention which is required,” she said even as she added that she had called up the East Khasi Hills SP on Saturday for an update but there was no response and even the O/C of Madanrting police station was way too causal about the whole incident.
“ The manner in which this case was handled was very disturbing and if they had listened to the pleas of the mother, the incident could have been averted,” Lyngdoh said.
Slamming police, member of the Committee, HM Shangpliang said that there is a total lack of professionalism be it as the police or at the doctors level in this case.
“ I am very disappointed as the officers were casual in responding to questions and there is total lack of discipline among the health officers and they need to tone up the officers and bring in some sense of professionalism in them,” Shangpliang said.