[ Harshvardhan Pillai ]
ITANAGAR, 16 Jun: A horrifying case of attempted murder involving a machete in the state capital has triggered a wave of public outrage, as the accused remains unarrested more than a month after the incident. The delay in police action has raised serious concerns regarding law enforcement efficiency and accountability.
On the morning of 8 May, Charpo Taffo Sonam, a 29-year-old resident of Taffo village in Bameng in East Kameng district, presently residing in Abo Tani Colony in Itanagar, was allegedly attacked at his private residence by one Mangal Dodum, a resident of Milorang village in Bameng.
According to the FIR filed on the same day, the alleged accused, Dodum trespassed into Sonam’s residence and struck him on the head with a machete (dao), inflicting severe injuries.
According to community sources, Charpo Sonam and Mangal Dodum had a prior confrontation in 2024, during a gathering with friends that escalated into a physical fistfight.
The victim was rushed to RK Mission Hospital by his elder brother and neighbours, where he received emergency medical care. Though he survived, the physical and emotional toll of the attack remains significant, he said.
The case has been registered under critical sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Section 109(1): attempt to commit murder; Section 118(2): voluntarily causing grievous hurt; and Section 351(3): criminal intimidation with intent to cause death.
Despite this, there has been no arrest even after over a month.
Addressing reporters during a press conference at the Arunachal Press Club here on Monday, Ato Alee Kao Society secretary Pawan Sonam expressed the society’s deep concern over the police’s apparent delay in taking action.
“We are losing faith in the system when an accused in such a serious case is still roaming free,” he said. “We appeal to the police to act swiftly, without bias or delay, and file the chargesheet at the earliest.”
He further stressed that all their demands are in theinterest of public welfare and collective safety.
“We urge every citizen – regardless of tribe or community – not to take the law into their own hands. No one should become a criminal in the name of personal revenge. We must pursue justice through the proper legal and judicial channels,” he said.
The Ato Alee Kao Society also appealed to members of Mangal Dodum’s clan and close community to cooperate with law enforcement and refrain from protecting or hiding the accused.
“Shielding someone who has committed a criminal act only encourages lawlessness. Let us stand for justice together,” Pawan Sonam added.
