Castigated, govt to resubmit rape report

SHILLONG, JUNE 3: Castigating the Meghalaya Director General of Police (DGP) Prem Singh for submitting a report which was not only  “incomplete” but with many “gaps” on the rape case of the two minor girls in Garo hills and the subsequent arrest and escape of the accused officer in charge of the Ampati police station Nurul Islam, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) directed the Meghalaya government to submit a detailed report of the incident and the escape of the accused within three days.

The commission hurriedly met in Shillong on Monday and immediately summoned the Meghalaya principal secretary (home) KS Kropha  and the DGP Prem Singh and expressed unhappiness over the report submitted by the police chief on the rape case.

NCPCR member V K Tikoo told reporters, “The commission is not happy with the report. We have asked for a detailed inquiry at the highest level as to circumstances the children were brought to the police station and the circumstances thereof which led to the escape of the accused.”

Terming the two page report presented by Singh on the incident as “incomplete” and full of “gaps”, the three member commission directed the principal secretary to submit a detailed report of the whole incident within three days along with action taken report.

Making it clear that the commission has zero tolerance towards Nurul Islam who raped the two sisters at his office chamber in March this year, the commission also directed the DGP that the deputy SP and all persons who have connection with the rape case  be suspended.

Islam who was the officer in charge of Ampati police station had allegedly molested and raped the two at the police station on March 13 and March 31. The district deputy commissioner Ram Singh had informed that an FIR was lodged by the aggrieved father of the girls.
Islam was arrested on Saturday evening but manage to escape from the police reserve quarters early Sunday morning. The commission took strong exception to the act of police of keeping Islam in the police reserve instead of locking him up in police station.

“We were told that the officer was taken to a government quarter instead of putting in a lock up,” commission member Yogesh Dube said, adding that the commission has also directed the DGP to invoke section 3-9 and Sections 28 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012 act and Section 23 of the Juvenile Justice Act besides other sections of the IPC.

The district administration has also directed a magisterial inquiry into the lapses which led to the escape of the accused from the custody of the police.

Additional district magistrate MP Sangma has been given one week’s time to submit a report. The victims were provided with Rs 50,000 as initial compensation under a special scheme for rape victims in Meghalaya.- By Our Reporter