School Girl’s Rape-murder Sparks Outrage in Meghalaya

GUWAHATI:  Meghalaya Police have found the body of the teenaged girl, who had gone missing after she went out with her stepfather to a clinic  on September 28. The victim was a school student hailing from Williamnagar in  East Garo Hills.

Meanwhile, several organisations in the state have condemned the incident. The influential Garo Students Union will stage a protest rally at Williamnagar on Wednesday.

“This is a shocking incident, unbecoming of a civil society,” said Agnes Kharsing, president of Meghalaya-based Civil Society Welfare Organisation.

“We have often seen the rich in Meghalaya getting away after committing such crimes. So, our demand is that he should not be granted bail and that the chargesheet is filed early,”she added.

The highly decomposed and decapitated body was recovered from a forest late on Sunday night.The head was found nearby. And parts of the corpse were found to be missing after being apparently eaten by the wild animals.

On the basis of circumstantial evidence, the police arrested the girl’s stepfather, Rashu N Marak who is a coal trader, for the alleged rape and murder.

 “As of now, we don’t know if she was beheaded or the animals severed it (head). The accused hasn’t disclosed anything so far. We have got some leads,though.We are still awaiting the autopsy report,” District police chief Davies N R Marak told Express.

According to the FIR, which the girl’s stepfather had registered with the police on the day she went missing,he had taken her to a clinic at Williamnagar bazar after she complained of giddiness. However, as the clinic was shut he sent her back home in an autorickshaw. He stayed back as he had to meet someone there. On reaching home later in the day when he did not find her, he had lodged a written complaint with the police. His wife had also filed a separate FIR alleging that he was possessive about the daughter to the extent of following her wherever she went. She alleged that he had also sexually abused the girl once, which, however, was not reported to the police.

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The New Indian Express
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