SHILLONG, MAY 12: Meghalaya State Commission for Women (MSCW) instituted an “inquiry” to probe into the alleged kidnapping, torture and confining of twelve girls’ including a six month-pregnant woman recently by women activists in Tura, West Garo hills district.
“We have decided to conduct our own investigation into the matter,” MSCW chairperson Theilin Phanbuh told reporters on Monday. She informed the inquiry will be headed by the commission’s vice chairperson Gamchi Marak and assisted by a member Angela Ingty.
“The two member team will initiate the probe starting from next week,” Phanbuh said adding the inquiry will be a holistic one and the commission might take at least one month time to prepare a complete report on the entire incident.
Phanbuh said the team will also be visiting all the 12 victims during the process of inquiry.
The vice chairperson Gamchi Marak, however, said, “The reason for taking the decision to take up our own inquiry is that we don’t want to be bias and we don’t want to depend on others, what is the truth we want to know.”
Last week, five self-style women activists were arrested for allegedly kidnapping, torturing and confining twelve girls for over a week on the pretext of counseling them.
The arrested were identified as Jaynie Ningring N. Sangma (37) who is also a member of the Civil Society Women Organization (CSWO), Babiana M. Sangma (42) of the A’chik Mother’s Union (AMU), Merryln D. Shira (52), Konica S. Sangma (37), and Lonavi R. Sangma (34).- By Our Reporter
The latest news is that the girls were taken to a house and tortured by men and later handed over to the Police. .. what about the role of the Police stripping the girls inside the Tura Police Station. Is that not a crime against women? We hope this too will be probed into, and who was the photographer from the media who photographed the stripped girls in front of men and in the police station….