No arrest yet after rape survivor’s house vandalised

HP NEWS SERVICE
Shillong, Jun 30: The vandals who damaged the house of a disabled rape survivor’s house in Jirang Block, Ri-Bhoi district are yet to be arrested putting a question mark on the efficiency of the police department to bring criminals to book.
Culprits damaged a wall of the house and scattered all the belongings inside on the night of June 25.
The sexual assault of a disabled woman was bad enough, but it was compounded by threats to the victim’s family members by the relatives of the alleged rapist when they filed an FIR and went to the primary health centre for medical checkup.
When the story of these unpalatable happenings in the village were published in this newspaper, the intimidators went a step further promising to hunt down the source of the story and by doing so put the villagers in fear and insecurity.
Sources pointed out that the culprits must be linked to very powerful people as the police have failed to arrest them and bring them before the court till date.
Meanwhile, the statement of the rape survivor has been recorded in the magisterial court at Nongpoh.
Even in this matter, the victim and her family have had to make huge expenses for booking two vehicles to and from their village in Jirang Block to Nongpoh at the rate of Rs.2000 for the trip.
It is learnt that they had to book two vehicles as the Covid-19 rules allows only two passengers in one vehicle. The rape victim who is also physically disabled needed take at least two attendants besides her mother to accompany her.