SHILLONG, JULY 25: Chairperson of the Assembly’s Committee on Women Empowerment, Ampareen Lyngdoh on Monday asserted the need to segregate between politics and crime even as she vowed to find out the truth as to what had happened to the five minors, who were rescued from a private farm of a BJP leader in Garo Hills.
Her statement came after BJP state vice president and Tura MDC Bernard N Marak had categorically denied running a brothel at his private farm ‘Rimpu Bagan’ and alleged that the police raid was staged since BJP is growing from strength to strength in Garo Hills region. Bernard further claimed that he is not evading arrest but is fearful for his life.
West Garo Hills police had claimed to have busted a prostitution racket in the private resort run by the BJP MDC which led to the arrest of 73 persons and rescue of 5 children besides seizure of liquors and unused contraceptives.
The incident was also discussed during the sitting of the Committee on Women Empowerment on Monday.
“We have discussed briefly the conditions of the five minors in the recent raid in Tura. We have requested the social welfare department to come back to us on August 8, to tell us the status of the victims who once again have been seen to have been oppressed and crimes have occurred against these minors,” Lyngdoh told reporters.
On allegations and counter allegations on the incident, the chairperson said, “Don’t confuse the politics and the crime that has occurred. Segregate these two things. You may have your political battles but you have no business engaging in anything with minor children and girl children.”
Stating that she will find out the truth, Lyngdoh said, “We will be able to segregate fact from fiction. I have no idea why people are running around, why all these accusations and counter accusations are going on but I only know one thing – you cannot hide or you cannot take away the fact of five minors being held hostage, engaged in sexual engagement as political or non-political.”
“To me you have hounded a young child, a girl child, to me that is relevant at this point of time. You have no business to violate the rights of a young girl child and I have been put in this position to fight for this child or those children rights and that is exactly what I am going to do, I am going to find out if it is a fact or fiction,” she further added.
She informed that the DIG Eastern Range has been asked to enquire as to the wellbeing of these five rescued minors from the alleged brothel.
“We will get more details on August 8,” Lyngdoh said while refusing to comment further on the incident.
