BJP Vice President Bernard N Marak today said that matured individuals cannot be called “prostitutes” for partying and no homestay can be termed a “brothel.”
Denying his involvement in the February 2022 case involving the sexual assault of a minor girl, Marak in a statement questioned, “Why should the case be linked to yesterday’s raid and are innocent youths detained unlawfully?”
“The raid took a “new twist” when the SP linked yesterday’s raid with some POCSO case registered in February. I was not an accused in that case yet they linked it to me because they desperately need to arrest me as ordered,” he claimed.
Stating that he has always cooperated with the police investigations and never absconded from any investigation, Marak said that the raid was “pre meditated” conducted at his private farm and later at his mother’s house and all the allegations labelled are targeted to tarnish and arrest him as he has become a threat to the Chief Minister.
He said the raid was conducted without warrant on the instruction of Chief Minister Conrad Sangma wherein all the state machineries has been abused by him.
“It was shocking to see a Deputy Commissioner and SP present during the raid which was conducted without warrant. In normal circumstances, it’s the excise department which conducts such raid but in my case, it was a power head mode. All protocols are violated and farm vandalised. It’s my private property and it stands outside the municipal area. No license is required as I am a tribal but they have framed the whole scenario with allegation of running a brothel which is outwardly false,” he said.
He further stated that none of the people detained were involved in any indecent activities during the raid. “The police trespassed and harassed the minor students whom I was sponsoring to study and alleged them to be involved in sexual activities which are false,” he stated.
“People are losing faith in NPP led government in the State and it is eminent that NPP will lose most of the seats in the upcoming election. The night before the raid, some NPP youths were engaging in negative postings. Many NPP supporters were posting the matters first hand as only media that accompanied the raid was NPP sponsored Hub news,” Marak stated.
“The desperate attempt to malign my image and harass my family members and supporters is very personal in the way they took the law in their own hands. CM also drinks and parties, and most of his supporters owns the wine stores in the state and runs bars too but why isn’t he within the same purview of the law? Is he above it?” he questioned.
