Shillong (Meghalaya), May 17 : The Meghalaya State Commission for Women on Monday asked police to register a suo moto case against those involved in heckling and tying a woman to a pole for alleged pickpocketing at a market place in Jowai last week, reported news agency PTI .
A Twitter user posted a video showing a woman being taken to a shed by unknown people during the daytime, asked questions and then being tied to a pole amidst jeering by onlookers. Twitter/ @dvonney
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 cognizance into the matter. “We have already started counselling the victim,” Toi said .
The women’s chairperson said that there are allegations against the woman that she is a habitual thief.
A senior official of the commission said it sought legal action after the woman refused to file an FIR against the culprits.
“We have asked the police to register a suo moto case against the perpetrators involved in the criminal act”, MSCW Chairperson Phidalia Toi told news agency PTI.
An undated video, which went viral on 13 May, showed the woman, in her twenties, being taken to a shed by unknown people during the daytime, asked questions and then tied to a pole amidst jeering by onlookers.
As per a preliminary investigation by the Meghalaya Police, the perpetrators tried to teach the woman a lesson for being a habitual offender.
With PTI inputs
