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

Shillong, May 16: 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.

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 to teach the woman a lesson for being "a habitual offender".

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