~Rahul Karmakar , HT
A man has been arrested in Mizoram for allegedly raping his 13-year-old daughter. A belated report reaching here on Thursday said Chhuanthanga, 45, of Chhiahtlang village sited 100 km from Mizoram capital Aizawl went into hiding after allegedly raping his teenaged daughter on March 26. The victim was one of Chhuanthanga's six children from a wife he had divorced a couple of years ago. The other children came to know what their father did to their sibling and chased him out of their house.
Police officials said the man was arrested in Aizawl earlier this week. The Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl (MHIP), an apex women's body, had been pressuring the police to nab Chhuanthanga and other such culprits.
Chhuanthanga's is the latest in a series of cases of sexual assault on minors in Mizoram since October last year. This forced the MHIP to observe a black day in Nobember seeking stringent punishment for the culprits.
"Cases of rapes and sexual assaults are becoming a cause of concern," said Aizawl district SP Lalbiakthanga Khiangte. He added that a study of such cases revealed most of the offenders were over 40 years and their victims between 10-15 years.
"Most of the arrested persons in connection with rape had viewed sex video films," Khiangte said