The accused in the infamous West Jaiñtia Hills District (WJHD) wife burning case was arrested, police said today.
Superintendent of Police, Chemphang Syrti told Highland Post that the accused, Dahun Dkhar, went to the Ummulong Beat House and surrendered himself. He has been charged with attempted murder.
The FIR has been registered in the Jowai police station under case number 91(11)2024 under section 124 (1)/351 (3) of the BNS and RM Suchiang has been entrusted as the Case Investigating Officer (IO).
Last night, his sister-in-law had written to the SP with details of how he had physically assaulted her. The complaint letter gives chilling details of the assault.
As per the letter, the incident happened on September 26, 2024 at around 3 pm when the survivor was alone at home in the kitchen frying fish. Dkhar suddenly and kicked a vessel with the hot oil and fish in it and then took an iron blowpipe lying near the stove and threw it at his wife’s head, where she managed to protect herself from that lethal throw with her hands.
However, he then took kerosene and went out of the house threatening to burn down her shop in the outer compound. At that time she took the chance to try and escape with her infant child, but he grabbed her and pulled her into the house.
All the time he assaulted her with his hands and kicked her while grabbing her hair and then banged her head multiple times on the wall of the room till she fainted. When she became conscious she was in pain and found she had been burnt.
When her family members found her they took her to Puriang for medical care after which her husband then came and took her to Shillong Civil Hospital. But soon after that he brought her back, the letter said.
The complaint was signed by her sister, Bhalang Suting who asked for stringent punishment.
The survivor was brought to Shillong and admitted to the Civil Hospital. Her medical condition and degree of her burns is not yet known as doctors are still examining her physical condition.
It is also learnt that the district SP has shot off a show cause notice to the medical superintendent of the Shillong Civil Hospital as to why the patient with multiple injuries and burns was allowed to be discharged without alerting the police.
At the same time it is learnt that the State Women’s Commission has also issued a similar show cause notice to both the Civil hospital authorities and also the One Stop Crisis Centre, which had failed to register the case when the family members of the victim had come to their office and informed them about the incident when it had occurred.
Sources said that the family had then declined to file any FIR but had sought only compensation.
Meanwhile, Member of the National Commission for Women Delina Khongdup and state commission chairperson Iamonlang Syiem will visit the survivor tomorrow.
