By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 27: A petition has been filed before the Meghalaya State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MSCPCR), seeking urgent intervention in the case of a 13-year-old minor girl from a village in West Khasi Hills who was assaulted earlier this year.
The incident occurred on June 6, 2025, in a village located along the Meghalaya-Assam border and was reported to a nearby Police Outpost on June 14.
However, the FIR was registered only under Sections 126 and 74 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and not under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, despite the victim being a child.
The case was later endorsed to Nongstoin Police Station, but no arrest has been made to date.
The petition, filed by by Advocate Enlang Sawian, the authorised representative of the victim’s mother, alleges negligence and dereliction of duty on the part of the police, including failure to invoke the mandatory provisions of POCSO and violation of the victim’s fundamental rights.
It also seeks registration of the case under POCSO, immediate arrest of the accused, disciplinary action against the erring police officials, psychological counselling and trauma care for the victim and monitoring of the investigation by the Commission.
The petition has also urged the Commission to act swiftly in the best interest of the child to ensure justice, protection and rehabilitation.