NPP MLA accused of rape in Meghalaya; FIR lodged

East Khasi Hills district police have registered the case against Thomas A. Sangma, MLA from North Tura, on a woman’s complaint that he raped her multiple times over a year on the pretext of marriage

Meghalaya police on Tuesday lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against a ruling National Peoples Party (NPP) legislator on rape charges.

Thomas Sangma. (Photo: Twitter)

East Khasi Hills district police have registered the case against Thomas A. Sangma, MLA from North Tura, on a woman’s complaint that he raped her multiple times over a year on the pretext of marriage.

“He has been raping me on the pretext of getting married since January 2020 up to April this year,” she said. She said she didn’t file an FIR the first time she was raped because Sangma promised her marriage.

She said Sangma even promised to divorce his wife for her. She claimed she got pregnant but the legislator asked her to go for an abortion, and abandoned her on April 17 this year.

East Khasi Hills superintendent of police S Nongtnger said, “Inquiry proceedings have been initiated. We will go by the law.”

Sangma, a Rajya Sabha MP from 2008-2014 from the Nationalist Congress Party, is the NPP national general secretary. The legislator, reported to be in Tura, did not take any of HT’s calls.