An apparent lack of coordination between the Women’s Commission, Child Rights Commission and police means that women and child victims of domestic violence are suffering unnecessarily, the Assembly’s committee for women empowerment has found.
The committee summoned representatives of the Meghalaya State Commission for Women (MSCW), Meghalaya State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MSCPCR) and the police department to appear before it today in relation to the gruesome double child murder in Nongrah at the end of May. In the harrowing case, the suspect, Joefreeson Jana, murdered his two minor children.
Today, committee chairperson Ampareen Lyngdoh said that it was clear that there is a lack of coordination between the Women’s Commission, Child Rights Commission and police.
Last week, it was stated by the Women’s Commission that the mother of the children had filed a complaint against Jana just three days before the murders for allegedly assaulting her but the police did not arrest him, instead preferring counselling for Jana, as he was an alcoholic.
However, Lyngdoh said that there is disagreement between the parties as to the actual sequence of events and whether the woman filed a formal complaint.
“We have therefore asked the MSCW and MSCPCR to work in close coordination with the police,” Lyngdoh said. “We request them to have a meeting at the earliest so that all these facts may be clearly understood.”
The MLA added that there has been a “tendency” to ignore or make light of complaints of domestic violence, the consequence of which, in this case, is the death of two innocent children. “This is a very high price to pay. It is very sad, very unfortunate and unacceptable but the crime has occurred. Henceforth, these lapses should not reoccur,” she said, adding that the committee was, on the whole, satisfied with the police report but that it will keep an eye on the case.
