3 rapes in 10 days jolt state, action sought

*Staff REPORTER*

ITANAGAR, Feb 21: Three back to back rape cases in span of ten days have rocked the frontier state of Arunachal Pradesh. 
Merely days after a 5-year-old girl child was raped and murdered in Tezu in the state’s Lohit district and the two accused were lynched to death by an angry mob, incidents of child rape have now surfaced from Daporijo and Yingkiong which fall in the Upper Subansiri and East Siang districts respectively. 
In Daporijo, which is around 277 kms from here, a 23-year-old man identified as Anu Gapak was arrested by the local police on Monday afternoon for allegedly raping an eight-year-old.
Talking to this daily, Director General of Police (DGP) Sandeep Goel informed that the accused, allegedly raped the eight-year-old girl child on February 14 last, however, the incident only came into light on February 18, when the victim who was suffering from severe abdominal pain by then, finally narrated the story to her parents.
“Shocked and devastated by the incident the victim’s family instead of informing the police called on the locals of the area, who then picked the suspect from his home, dragged him to the streets, stripped him naked and made him march round the township before finally handing him over the police,” the DGP informed.
“The accused is at police custody as if now and appropriate action as per law will be taken against him as his crime is heinous,” Goel said.
Meanwhile, in Yingkiong, a large number of people took out to the streets on Monday and Tuesday after a school teacher was allegedly found guilty of raping a five-year-old student of the same school where he used to teach.
The accused indentified as Holvi Sema is a permanent resident of Nagaland and was teaching in one of the private schools of the town.   
Yingkiong is 379 kms from the capital.
 “The people were unhappy with the police shifting the accused to the Aalo police station, however, the same was done on the instructions of the local court,” said DGP Goel who added that the entire town remained closed on Wednesday as well.
Reportedly the angry mob on Tuesday also damaged the local police station and set ablaze a police vehicle on fire. 
Sources form Yingkiong informed this daily that the locals are demanding the police to bring back the accused to Yingkiong police station and suspension of the Superintendent of Police and Investigation Officerof the case.
DGP Goel said that through the situation in the town is tense it is well under police control. 
The Arunachal Pradesh Women’s Welfare Society (APWWS) has condemned the rape of the children in the strongest terms and called on the state government to take strong measures to protect children from such heinous crimes.
The society also appealed to the parents to educate their children to be aware and make them understand that it is important to take permission of parents before heading out to play with strangers or even persons they know.
The APWWS also sought that the government take strong action to expedite all the cases so that justice is delivered at the earliest to the families of the young girls.