Shillong, May 20: Nearly 29 years after she buried her child, a mother whose son was killed in police custody saw someone finally held accountable for the crime, with a former Sub-Inspector in the Meghalaya Police, Glithstone Ch Marak, convicted and sentenced to two years’ rigorous imprisonment.
The case goes back to November 16, 1997 when Marak, who was the officer in charge of Raliang outpost, and his staff picked up one Emsalong Tariang from his home at around 1am “without any stated reason.”
The victim’s mother alleged that the police personnel were intoxicated and “severely beat and threatened her son inside the outpost.” Despite her pleas, they refused to release him and the woman discovered her son’s lifeless and naked body lying on the police premises later that morning.
The District and Sessions Court in Jowai, under Judge NA Khan, convicted Marak. However, in sentencing, the court noted “circumstances and mitigating factors”, including the convict’s current age of 64, his dismissal from service and no prior criminal record and thus sentenced him to only two years’ rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs 2,000.
