"Take the investigation of the rape case personally", appeals Tamal Kanti Banik to Cachar DC

In the recent past, there have been several incidents of rape or sexual harassment cases in the district of Cachar. Although the accused have been arrested at different times, there is not enough investigation and in some cases the culprits are not even punished, leaving the women’s fraternity vulnerable. The Deputy Commissioner of Cachar is a woman herself. Hence she should at least pay special attention to this matter and look into this issue personally, that’s what the former Silchar Municipality Chairman and Congress Vidhan Sabha candidate from Silchar Tamal Kanti Banik thinks. On Wednesday, he officially made the demand through a memorandum to the Cachar Deputy Commissioner Keerthi Jalli.

Recently, in the name of giving bike lift, three youths raped a widow of the Manipuri community in a secluded place in the area adjacent to Silchar NIT. The woman gave her statement to the police station and based on that, the police arrested the accused on Monday. However, amid all this ordeal, the woman has become mentally depressed. The Manipuri woman is a mother of two and works as a cleaner in a private health centre. After the death of her husband, she started staying at her father’s house. Based on her FIR, the police was able to arrest the accused Kanailal Goala, Mahesh Goala and Somnath Kumar Goala. Their address is at the Madhutila Goala Basti area adjacent to the Silchar NIT.

In the memorandum, Tamal Kanti Banik said, “The matter is very sensitive and important, but at times such measures are not enough and the accused try to influence the police in various ways. The DC herself is a woman and she should personally stand up against this oppression of women. An example must be set by carrying out severe punishment for the three accused in this case. If somebody gets away even after raping a woman out there on the street, who’s alone and vulnerable, this might set a dangerous precedence in the future and end up creating more such inhumane acts. Adivasi women in different parts of India are being persecuted by miscreants in this way. A similar incident took place with an Adivasi woman in Dholai recently. Such incidents cannot be prevented unless the culprits are given exemplary punishment.”