E.M. JOSE
Shillong, Oct. 13 : A student from Arunachal Pradesh who fought off a rape attempt by an acquaintance from her state is facing a tougher battle against forces that are trying stifle her cries for justice.
The 21-year-old was offered a lift by 24-year-old Bengia Anthony on his bike to her home in Shillong on the evening of October 7.
Instead of dropping her home, Anthony took her to Lad Smit on the outskirts of Shillong and tried to rape her, according to the girl’s statement. The girl lodged an FIR of “attempt to rape, murder and kidnapping” the same day against Anthony, whom she claimed to know well.
As the youth tried to pin her down, the girl screamed and bit his right arm, the FIR said.
Hearing the shouts, two persons rushed to rescue the girl, while Anthony sped away on his bike.
Constant prodding by the Shillong-based Civil Society Women’s Organisation led to Anthony’s arrest.
Anthony, however, was not available for comment as he was hospitalised soon after his arrest.
The superintendent of police, Shillong city, M. Kharkrang, said Anthony has filed a counter FIR from the hospital alleging that the FIR filed by the girl was false.
“Anthony is still in hospital and we have not been able to interrogate him,” he added.
The girl, on the other hand, reportedly gets threatening calls asking her to “forget about the incident”.
Refusing to bow to such pressure, she told reporters that she would pursue the case to bring the culprit to book.
The president of Civil Society Women’s Organisation, Agnes Kharshiing, today said the girl was in trauma, as Anthony appears to be an influential person who can cause further damage to her reputation and also influence the inquiry.
She said the counter FIR by Anthony blamed the two local persons who came to the girl’s rescue for the crime.
“It is also very unfortunate that many people are trying to blame the girl just to save the boy who is more influential. They are even trying to blame the persons who had saved her by saying that the culprit tried to save her from those two persons,” Kharshiing said.
Kharshiing said the girl had showed her the scratches she sustained on her body while fighting Anthony.
Quoting the victim, Kharshiing also said the accused tried to strangulate her.
SP Kharkrang said the girl’s medical report showed there were a lot of scratches on her body, besides signs of struggle.
He, however, said he had not gone through the medical reports of the accused, though the girl had alleged that there would be bite marks on his right arm.