Drugging of minor girls catches everyone off guard

Drugging of minor girls catches everyone off guard

Staff Reporter

ROING, Dec 16: Despite media revelation of prevalent drug addiction in Lower Dibang Valley and the arrest of a woman with handbag full of opium in February last year, the authorities have failed to prevent the spread of the dreaded menace. The latest incident of minor girls allegedly drugged in a picnic at Roing on December 14 last has literally caught the authorities as well as the society off guard.

Reportedly, eleven minor girl students of Government Middle School, Mayu studying in different classes from V to VIII were drugged during a picnic at Ephi River near here on Monday. Nine girls were admitted to the hospital on the same day while two were brought in for examination the next day. Yesterday on a complaint filed at the Roing police station by the bereaved parents, police rounded up eleven boys for interrogation and later detained two of them, one a student of Class X of Government Higher Secondary School and the other a class VII student of the Mayu school. However, both were released late at night the same day.

“The investigation so far has not been able to produce satisfactory credible evidence against the detainees. The students are under-age and since there is no separate provision for detention of minors, they have been released on PR bonds,” informed J Molo, officer-in-charge of Roing police station.

The police further informed that they came to know about the December 14 incident the next day in the morning when one of the relatives of the victim filed an FIR. The FIR named seven students along with the two detainees for their suspected involvement in food poisoning and drugging the girls. Appeal was made to investigate the case and to initiate necessary action.

Accordingly, investigation was carried on two minor girls aged 14 and 15 who were produced in the police station by the parents and later referred for medical examination. The medical report, however, has not been able to confirm the type of substance used as drug to intoxicate the girls. One of the girl reported intoxication and had complained of dizziness.

With the suspects claiming innocence and lack of credible evidence even after medical examination of the girls, the police are yet to achieve any breakthrough in the case. What they, however, missed was the evidence that could have been collected upon examining the other seven girls who were admitted in the hospital the same day of the incident. The police confirm that they have no medical report of these girls and were not referred in the case. Considering the need to gather evidence for preventing further use of fatal drugs among students, OC Molo assured to carry on the investigation on the other seven girls whose physical condition on the night was not reported. It was relied that the medical report of the remaining seven girls must also be produced to carry forward the investigation.

The December 14 picnic episode has now raised concerns of the people since this is the first such case of drug abuse involving minor students with motives not known. The All Idu Mishmi Students Union (AIMSU) has expressed regret and vowed to investigate it on its own.

“It pains to know that nine of the victims were local girls. What is more regrettable is that the incident involved three local boys,” said Tone Mickrow, Secretary AIMSU. THE SENTINEL