Newmai News Network
Imphal | October 4
Demanding capital punishment for the accused who allegedly sexually assaulted a girl, protestors on Friday stormed in Imphal’s Cheirap Court complex where the accused was produced in the court of Special POCSO court there. The protestors further stormed Lamphel police station where a case was registered against a laboratory technician identified as one Thokchom Suraj (36) working at Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal after he allegedly sexually assaulted the 12 year old minor girl in the laboratory room in the wee hours of Thursday.
Suraj was arrested by the Lamphel police after alleged incident. Reports said the ailing minor girl was allegedly sexually assaulted inside the laboratory room where she was admitted for testing ECG.
As per a complaint lodged by the parents, the minor girl who was suffering from fever and dysentery rushed to the emergency ward of the RIMS on Thursday, around 2.30:am.
Following suggestion from the doctors attending her for certain laboratory test including ECG, she was taken to the ECG laboratory room where the technician allegedly sexually assaulted her taking advantage of the situation inside the laboratory room where he was alone on night duty.
Police arrested Suraj after lodging a case under the relevant section of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Following the incident, RIMS authority terminated the laboratory technician from his service.
On Friday, the accused was produced in the court of special judge POCSO where the court remanded him to the police custody for five days.
While police brought the accused to the court complex, a large number of people stormed the court complex and shouted various slogans demanding capital punishment to the accused.
Family members of the victim girl, relatives and people of the locality where the minor girl hails from were among the large number of people, mostly womenfolk.
Police had a hard time to deal with the protestors who were in fiery state after the they allegedly assaulted one of the protestors.
After the police at the court complex dispersed them, a group of people including family members marched towards the RIMS campus where police again blocked them from entering the administrative block of the institution.
Some local leaders were later allowed to enter and met RIMS director. When the leaders failed to came out of the meeting with the director, the protestors outside the administrative block rose up again.
With additional force from Imphal West district police headquarters, personnel of Lamphel police put the situation under control without using much force.
Noting seriously the alleged incident, Kangleipak Students’ Association (KSA) demanded harsh punishment to the accused.
Addressing a press conference at its office in Imphal’s Khoyathong, its deputy secretary Kalpana Yumnam demanded deployment of women laboratory technicians in all the hospitals so that "such heinous crime" against women is not repeated in future.
While demanding harsh punishment against the accused, she appealed all pertinent authorities dealing with the case for speedy trial.
If the pertinent authorities fail to address the demand, KSA will launch various forms of agitations, she warned.
