Staff Reporter 

ITANAGAR, Oct 27:  The sensational Gomchu Yekar suicide case took a dramatic turn on Monday as senior IAS officer Talo Potom was remanded to 14 days judicial custody by the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Court, Yupia, on charges of abetment to suicide and sexual assault of the deceased 19-year-old.
Earlier in the day, Potom surrendered before the police at Nirjuli, two days after a lookout notice was issued against him. His surrender followed days of public outrage, after Yekar’s suicide note accused the top bureaucrat of sexual exploitation, blackmail, and mental harassment, pushing the youth to take his own life on October 23.
Before surrendering, the officer released a video statement denying all allegations, claiming that he was being falsely implicated and expressing confidence of proving his innocence. Potom also stated that he had no HIV infection, countering the contents of Yekar’s suicide note which claimed otherwise.
However, the statement failed to calm the rising anger. Hundreds of protesters, including Yekar’s family members, student bodies, and local youth organizations, gathered outside the JMFC Court at Yupia, demanding that no VIP privileges be extended to the accused officer and that the investigation be conducted fairly and transparently. The crowd shouted slogans for justice and accused the administration of shielding the powerful.
Late in the evening, the Court rejected Potom’s bail plea and ordered his 14-day judicial custody, sending him to jail under tight security amid heavy police deployment to control the agitating mob.
Confirming the development,DIGP Tumme Amo told this daily that the 14-day judicial custody has been granted by the  Court.  Police will ensure a “free, fair and time-bound investigation” into the allegations surrounding the high-profile case that has shaken the state’s bureaucracy and public trust.
Meanwhile, as per the sources, the state government has handed over the investigation to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Arunachal Pradesh Police, headquartered at the Police Headquarters in Itanagar. The SIT, led by SP (Crime) Shivendu Bhushan and supervised by IGP (Law and Order) Chukhu Apa, will now take charge of the probe from Nirjuli Police Station.
The 19-year-old victim, Gomchu Yekar, was working as a multi-tasking staff under Potom’s office. His alleged suicide note, recovered from his room at Lekhi village near Nirjuli, detailed harrowing experiences of exploitation, threats, and deceit, naming both Potom and another accused, Engineer Likwang Lowang, who died by suicide the same day at his residence in Khonsa, Tirap district.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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