Assam: Karbi’s titular king arrested on charges of rape!

Guwahati May 23: A 53-year-old tribal king was arrested in Assam on charges of raping a 33-year-old mother of four children.

Harsing Ronghang, the titular king of the Karbi people, one of the predominant tribes in Assam, was arrested on Tuesday morning based on a FIR lodged by the woman. Ronghang has been charged with rape and house trespass.

“He was summoned to the police station and arrested. Report of the medical examination of the victim is awaited,” Kamal Bora, in-charge of Hamren police station in West Karbi Anglong district in central Assam told HT.

According to the FIR, the accused went to the woman’s house last Wednesday and allegedly raped her at night.

“He left early the next morning threatening the woman not to disclose the incident. But, after couple of days she told her neighbours and the news spread in the area,” Bora said.

A meeting of the local elders and residents was called on Monday where the accused reportedly admitted to his crime. Subsequently, the woman lodged an FIR in Hamren police station.

The administrative affairs in Karbi Anglong region, where the Karbi people mainly reside, fall under the jurisdiction of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC). But the tribal king, who manages his affairs from Ronghang Rongbong, 16 km from Hamren, the district head quarters, enjoys lot of influence on the socio-cultural life of the Karbis.

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com