‘Moran cops sexually assaulted us,’ says Assam tour operator

Gyandip Borgohain (35), a tourism entrepreneur based in Demow of Sivasagar district, has been organizing camping for tourists at the Ziro Festival of Music in Arunachal Pradesh for several years. This year was no different. After the festival concluded, Gyandip and his team packed up from Ziro on October 7 and proceeded to his hometown. Little did he or his colleagues know what awaited them.

By October 8 morning, Borgohain and his team were allegedly brutally tortured in Moran Police station for several hours by the Officer-in-charge, Bijoy Daimari, along with three civilians, identified as Manab Hazarika, Papu Dowerah and Dudul Lekharu.

Borgohain and the others have also alleged that the police officials, accompanied by two civilians, kidnapped and sexually assaulted his team, tortured them with weapons and police batons for several hours. Among the victims is also the President of Western Angami Students’ Association from Nagaland, Kevileto Whiso, who was assisting the team to organize camping for the visitors to Hornbill Festival.

According to Moran OC Bijoy Daimari, who addressed media persons on October 8, Borgohain’s team and his friends allegedly eve-teased and molested Daimari’s wife at a restaurant on October 7 night.

“I agree we had to use some force to make them admit to their crime,” Daimari told mediapersons on October 8 morning.

Later, on October 9, Dibrugarh Superintendent of Police, Shwetank Mishra sent Daimari to the reserve close for his actions against the youth. “There is a departmental enquiry against Daimari for the actions he committed against the youths. A case also has been filed in this connection at the Demow police station,” Mishra told EastMojo.

However, several local organizations, including the local chapters of Communist Party of India, All Assam Tai-Ahom Students’ Union, Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba-Chatra Parishad (AJYCP), All Assam Adivasi Students’ Union, All Deori Students’ Union, All Mech-Kachari Yuba Parishad and others have been protesting in Demow and Moran demanding the arrest of Daimari, other accused police officials and the civilians involved in the alleged case of torture. Further, All Indian Kisan Sabha and Sanmilita Ekya Manch, an umbrella organization, have approached the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) and Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, demanding strict action against excesses committed by Moran police officials.

Father of a three-month-old girl, Borgohain, who is the director of Kite Manja Tours, has been organizing camps for trekkers as well as festival goers in Northeast India for several years. Borgohain told EastMojo his company has been hiring local youths from different parts of the region and usually teams up with the local communities so that tourists visiting the region get an authentic experience.

“After a successful camping run in Ziro, we were on our way to my hometown along with my staff on October 7 night. Since we were delayed and I did not want to disturb my family with dinner preparations for the entire team, I called two friends, Partha Jyoti Mech and Simanta Deori, both residents of Demow, to find a restaurant that may serve food to my team,” recounted Borgohain.

The team ate dinner at Pacifica Inn, a new highway restaurant, and then proceeded to his house in Demow. “I sat with my entire team for some time and discussed our plans for the upcoming events and then the team proceeded to a small camping area in our own compound to sleep,” Borgohain added.

While Borgohain’s septuagenarian parents were asleep, he stayed up replying to some emails for the upcoming assignments.

“At around 3:15 AM, I heard loud banging on the gate of our house. Both me and my brother went to check and we found my friend Partha, whose face was badly bleeding. I thought he might have been injured in an accident on the way back,” Borgohain recalled.

Soon, three men in civilian clothes followed one traffic policeman from Demow and a policeman in battalion fatigues entered his campus and asked Borgohain to show where his staff were sleeping.

“One of the civilians accompanying the men pointed me to the Moran officer in charge who was in plain clothes. They said that all of us have to go to the Demow Police Station. One of them went to the camping area in our compound and started kicking and waking up my staff,” said Borgohain.

The policeman told Borgohain to bring his own vehicle along and then on the way to Demow Police Station, which is barely 800 metres away from his house, suddenly informed that they will have to go Moran Police Station, about 24 kilometres away in Dibrugarh district. “By the time I could even ask about the matter, one of the vehicles rushed with some of the members of my team,” he added.

At Moran Police Station, they were all lined and policemen along with the two civilians took turns to assault them, as per the statement given by Borgohain and his friend, Partha Mech.

“When I went to ask why they were brought to the police station, Daimari kicked me in my groin area,” Borgohain added.

While torturing, one of the civilians finally told them that someone from the team misbehaved with the police official’s wife. “We immediately contested that but the policemen kept beating up, hitting their private parts,” he added.

Later, on October 8 morning, Daimari’s wife came to the police station, apparently for identification.

“She was visibly influenced. However, we could not understand a word because they spoke in Bodo. But then she shook her head in negative, which brought us great relief,” Borgohain said.

The entrepreneur, however, stated that the real torture only stared after Daimari’s wife visited the police station. Borgohain’s team was stripped naked and he was asked to slap their butts while a group of policemen and civilians filmed them. “I was being told that if me or my team told anyone about the kidnapping and torture, these videos will be circulated everywhere to each media house and then my career as an entrepreneur will be over,” Borgohain said.

Compromising position

In the meanwhile, as crowds started gathering outside the police station demanding their release, Daimari allegedly told Borgohain to come to some kind of compromise.

“Our truck driver was a Muslim. He said I could pin the entire incident on him and be free from all the charges. I did not back down,” Borgohain said. “I said whatever crime they think we had committed; I wanted my team completely out of it so I asked the police to make me accused. My friend Partha also came up and offered to be the accused. All of this happened while young interns in my team along with the driver were being beaten up in another cell. We never confessed to any crime,” Borgohain added.

Before all of this, Partha and his friend Simanta had faced a separate ordeal, when after dispersing from the Pacifica Inn with the team, he received a call from an unknown number saying that a common friend from Demow had met with an accident in Nahoroni, which is close to Moran.

“Partha immediately proceeded without thinking much about the call. Here, Daimari, the civilians and another police official intercepted them. They were beaten up on the road by the civilians and the police stomped on their chest several times. They were also hit on their private parts,” Borgohain. After Partha and Simanta were brought to the police station, they were asked for Borgohain’s address.

Later, Borgohain learnt from his sources that while they were having dinner, Daimari, some local goons, allegedly linked with oil tanker mafia and illicit liquor mafia were drinking in the same restaurant, which is owned by one of the accused, Papu Dowerah. Borgohain said that police officials recorded the molestation attempt on Daimari’s wife. “There is nothing on the video to show that me or my team even had a conversation with the police official or his wife. We did not even see them,” added Borgohain.

While Dibrugarh police officials are yet to arrest any of the accused civilians, Borgohain and his team has suffered a setback as they were preparing for tourist arrivals. “I am trying to focus on my next assignment but with what we experienced in the last few days, it will be difficult for us to overcome the trauma. We want swift action against the accused persons,” Borgohain added.

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