Shillong, Jul 29: A 65-year-old lawyer was booked for allegedly molesting a female intern in his chamber and was later paraded through Shillong with hands on his ears, in a video that went viral.
Police registered the case on Tuesday at Sadar Police Station under Sections 74 and 75 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to the FIR, the incident occurred around 3 pm at the lawyer’s chamber. The victim, a law intern, alleged that the accused asked her to collect case books from another room and then sexually assaulted her by touching her inappropriately. She said she managed to free herself after resisting.
She further alleged that the lawyer then offered her ₹500 to stay quiet and asked her to meet him again on Saturday. “I was traumatised and do not wish to continue my internship,” she stated in the complaint.
Members of the East Khasi Hills unit of the Hynñiewtrep National Youth Front (HNYF) accompanied the victim to file the complaint and on Wednesday paraded him with hands on his ears through Shillong streets.
Following the incident, the Meghalaya State Bar Association wrote to the Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court, protesting the manner in which the lawyer was humiliated.
Superintendent of Police (City) Dangsan Khyriem said an investigation has begun. The HNYF has demanded the immediate arrest of the accused and urged the Bar Association to revoke his licence to practise.
