Correspondent
HAFLONG, Aug 19: Hundreds of women under the banner of the United Women Forum of Karbi Anglong (UWFKA – East and West) organized a mass rally in Haflong on Tuesday, demanding justice for Late Bina Engtipi, who was brutally murdered and dumped by five individuals at Longku village in Dima Hasao district.
The rally received widespread support from various student organizations and civil society groups across the district.
Protesters marched through the streets holding placards and raising slogans, expressing their deep concern over the deteriorating safety of women in Dima Hasao. They demanded a thorough investigation and the strictest legal punishment for the perpetrators involved in Engtipi’s murder.
The women leaders who took part in the rally also raised serious concerns about the alarming frequency of crimes against women in the region.
“We are not safe anywhere. We are no longer safe in Hojai, Lanka, Nagaon, Karbi Anglong, Dima Hasao, and many other places. Women are getting raped almost every month,” one of the leaders said.
“The Chief Minister and the CEM of Dima Hasao should have, by now, stepped out and at least promised us that justice will be delivered to the victim. You have mothers, daughters, and sisters too. Kindly come forward and stand with the public—and the women at large—as we fight for the victim so that justice will be served,” they added.
Later in the day, the protestors submitted a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister of Assam and the Chief Executive Member (CEM) of the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council through the Dima Hasao Deputy Commissioner.
Late Bina Engtipi, aged 48, was the wife of Hemari Terang, the village headman of Longku. She ran a small tea shop near the camp of Larsen & Toubro (L&T), a construction company working on the Lower Kopili Hydel Project in the area. She went missing on the evening of 13th August. Her lifeless body, bearing multiple injury marks, was discovered the following day in a forested area near an LP school under the Longku Police Outpost.
Police have arrested five individuals, all reportedly employed by L&T. One of the accused is currently in judicial custody, while the remaining four are in police remand for further interrogation.