MSWC demands action on woman tied to a pole

The Meghalaya State Women’s Commission (MSWC) has directed the state police to take action on distributing incident where a woman was allegedly tied to a pole at a market place in West Jaintia Hills on charge of being a pickpocket.
“We have taken up the matter with the police and directed it to take suo motu cognisance of the incident. The police have assured that action will be taken against it,” MSWC Chairperson, Phidalia Toi said.
Based on MSWC’s direction, a police team headed by a woman police officer, in-charge of Jowai police station, has begun an investigation.
District police chief of West Jaintia Hills, Bikram D Marak said the police team has summoned witnesses and recorded their statements.
“We would take action once the investigation team submits the report,” Marak said.
The disturbing video went viral on Friday and shows a woman tied to the pole in a market in Jowai, the district headquarters of West Jaintia Hills. The woman is allegedly a pickpocket.
The video shows the woman being taken to a shed by unidentified persons for questioning after which she was tied to a pole amidst jeering by a crowd.
Toi said that such incidents are “unacceptable in any civilised society.” The women’s commission chief added that after the video surfaced the commission has asked the victim to lodge an FIR with the police.
But the victim has declined to file the FIR and so the women’s commission directed the police to take suo motu cognisance into the matter. “We have already started counselling the victim,” Toi added.
The women’s chairperson said that there are allegations against the woman that she is a habitual thief.
“However, people who caught her red-handed shouldn’t have taken the law into their hands. They should have handed her to the police,” Toi said.