Congress demands apology from BJP leaders over alleged crimes against women in northeast

Congress spokesperson Ajoy Kumar said that Bernard Marak has a history of charges lodged against him under various sections of the IPC and the Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act, 1956.

New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday asked the BJP top leaders to apologise to the country over the alleged involvement of party functionaries in crimes against women in the north-eastern states of Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh.

“You asked for an apology from Sonia Gandhi but I ask you to apologise to the nation. BJP chief JP Nadda, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman should apologise, Home Minister Amit Shah should apologise and Minister Smriti Irani should apologise. Under you, your lawmakers and leaders are violating our girls and trading them,” Congress spokesperson Ajoy Kumar said.

The comments came a day after the BJP demanded an apology from party chief Sonia Gandhi for allegedly misbehaving with Union Minister Smriti Irani in Parliament. The BJP also demanded an apology from Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury over his alleged slip of tongue over President of India Droupadi Murmu.

Citing the recent Meghalaya sex racket case, the Congress leader said that on July 22 in the outskirts of Tura West Garo Hills district, 73 people including 23 women were arrested and five children including a minor girl were rescued after a raid by the police in the farmhouse of the state BJP vice president Bernard Marak.

Kumar also said that Bernard Marak has a history of charges lodged against him under various sections of the IPC and the Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act, 1956. He has more than 25 criminal cases registered against him since the early 2000s across the North-eastern state.

“This person was the self-styled chairman of the militant outfit, Achik National Volunteer Council (ANVC-B), but even after the disbandment of the outfit, he had been indulging in criminal activities like extortion from traders of Tura market, criminal intimidation in case of refusal to pay extortion money, arms smuggling, prostitution, illegal sale of liquor, illegal sale of lottery tickets, encroachment on others’ property, illegal collection of money for recommending issue of TNT license, etc. the Meghalaya police has claimed,” he said.

“But the BJP has termed the move as part of a political vendetta by the National Peoples' Party-led government in the state of which the saffron party is a minor partner,” said Kumar. Citing the recent Arunachal Pradesh rape case, the Congress leader said that on October 12th, 2019, sitting MLA Goruk Pordung of Bameng Assembly Constituency in East Kameng District in Arunachal Pradesh was accused of rape by a Medical Officer posted in Bameng Primary Health Centre.

The married lady was called to a hotel by Goruk Pordung under the pretence of discussing issues related to the Primary Health Centre, where she was allegedly raped by the accused, said Kumar.

She was threatened by Goruk Pordung that she would suffer dire consequences if she reported the incident to the authorities, and later she was escorted home by people she knew, said Kumar.

The Congress leader said that the government is on a witch hunt using the agencies that are bound to protect its citizens, against all those who dare to raise their voices against its malpractices is appalling, especially when its leaders are despotic criminals who have no shame and commit crimes against helpless children and women.

“We will run a political movement on the issue in the north-eastern region,” said Kumar, adding that “neither Sitharaman nor Irani have any concern over these cases where tribal girls were violated.”

The Congress leader alleged that BJP leader Niraj Shakya allegedly used to traffic tribal girls from the northeast to Madhya Pradesh and mentioned the name of another woman leader Chandna Chakravarthi allegedly involved in an infant sale racket.

The Congress leader also cited cases of UP BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar who was involved in a rape case, Swami Chinmayanand, Bhojpal Singh, Venkatesh Maurya, Nihalchand allegedly involved in crimes against women and said that BJP leaders Kailash Vijayvargiya and Uma Bharti had come out in defence of rape accused Asaram Bapu.

“I have never seen such a sin as a police officer. Is there a justice system in the country? Shame on us, shame on everybody if we cannot protect our girls. God save the country and God save us from women lawmakers displaying manufactured anger in Parliament,” said Ajoy Kumar, a former IPS officer.