The Assembly committee on empowerment of women today sat with officials to go over several recent crimes against women and children in the state.
Speaking to Highland Post, committee chairperson Ampareen Lyngdoh said that the police have everything in order with regards to the dual murder case of two females in Nongstoiñ.
“The officials of West Khasi Hills have presented all the facts related to the case and ended up with plenty of evidence against the accused,” she said.
Concerning the heinous crime of gang rape of three minor girls at Ummir village, Lyngdoh said officials of East Khasi Hills presented the facts of the case. Four of the suspects are above 18 years but the other’s age has yet to be determined.
“The Social Welfare Department is doing its duty. The young girls are being counselled to get over the trauma and the committee has urged the Superintendent of Police of East Khasi Hills to increase patrolling all around the district to deter crimes,” she said.
Lyngdoh observed that though there is a Covid curfew of 9pm, violations of this are quite normal, with people drinking in public, hanging out on street corners and generally roaming about.
With regards to the Nongalbibra gang rape case where a minor was denied treatment in a health centre, she said that the committee has taken serious note of the absence of the District Medical and Health Officer and medical superintendent of Williamnagar Civil Hospital from today’s proceedings and necessary action will be taken against them.
The committee also reviewed the tragic death of a woman in Dangar Primary Health Centre and found that there were several lapses as per the report from the Principal Secretary of the Health Department.
Informing that the doctor has just been allowed to resign while forgetting the gross medical negligence that has occurred, Lyngdoh said that it was also learned that the patient was first taken to Mawsynram where the health facility did not have a blood bank, causing further delay to the transportation of the patient who was already in grave danger.
“The journey of the patient seems to indicate how many need to be held accountable for the lapse, whether the NGO that is running the PHC, doctor or the other medical staff,” she said.
Moreover, the committee also took up the unusual FIR taken up against the minors at Mawlasnai over irrelevant mischief by children.
Questioning why the officer in charge of the police outpost registered the FIR against the minors in the first place, Lyngdoh said that the committee has summoned the Social Welfare Department Child Protection officer and District Social Welfare Officer and recommended these errors should not occur.
