Register case against those involved in tying woman to pole: Meghalaya women's panel tells police

Shillong: 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 marketplace in Jowai last week.

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 PTI.

An undated video, which went viral on May 13, 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”.

No arrest has yet been made in connection with the incident.