Meghalaya was rocked on July 22 following a raid on a farmhouse owned by Meghalaya BJP Vice President Bernard Marak. Over the past few days, several people have tried to narrate the events leading to the dramatic raid, and the subsequent ‘expose’ has turned this issue into an all-out political war between allies. But amid allegations and counter-allegations, the issue at the heart of it all – a farmhouse named Rimpu Bagan – seems to have taken a backseat. At the time of filing this report, Marak had been arrested in Hapur, Uttar Pradesh and on his way to being brought back to Tura.
What actually happened at the farmhouse? What are the locals saying, and is this simply a case of political vendetta as claimed by the BJP or is there something far sinister taking place?
The first thing that becomes obvious when you visit Rimpu Bagan is that it is in the middle of a jungle in Edenbari, located about 8 km from Tura town. Interestingly, ‘Rimpu’ is Bernard’s nickname, but the place’s history is far more interesting. The location—deep inside a forest with only a narrow dirt road leading to the farmhouse—was in part because it was once a designated camp of the faction of the now-disbanded Achik National Volunteer Council (ANVC-B), which was active between 1998 and 2012, primarily in the Garo Hills.
As you approach the farmhouse, on first impression it looks like a simple, single-storey building. However, go a little closer, and you realise that the farmhouse, located on a hillslope, has two floors ‘below’. Curiously, considering this was a ‘farmhouse’ belonging to a powerful local leader, there was no entrance and no reception. Maybe this was the fallout of the raid, but we could not confirm the same.
The farmhouse’s architecture gains significance because it was mentioned by BJP president Ernest Mawrie in his statement issued right after the raid on Saturday. He described it as a three-storey building with the ground floor being used as a banquet hall which is rented out for the stated purpose. The first floor comprises 30 rooms which are used for homestay. The second floor is used as a hostel for underprivileged children from different areas of Garo Hills.
However, when EastMojo visited the farmhouse, we found that the top floor consists of five small rooms, all lined in a row, with an attached toilet. The stairs leading down to the second floor open to an empty hall. Across the hall, a narrow passage leads to other, smaller rooms. The ground floor also has a hall with rooms. This is where five minors—four boys and one girl—were rescued, according to the police.
Between unknown and ambivalent: Marak, the farmhouse, and education
Andy (names changed to protect their identity) said that they have always known Rimpu Bagan as a hostel and a guesthouse. “We have never been there, but from what we heard, it is a farmhouse and people go there during weekends to celebrate birthdays and other occasions,” he added. He had good things to say about Merak, stating that Marak is a good man.
Andy also narrated that his sister’s son was picked from Rimpu Bagan during the raid and later released on bail.
The farmhouse itself looked exactly like a place raided by police: pieces of broken wood scattered all over, doors broken, and a passage leading to two dingy rooms which looked more like detention centres than rooms for students. None of these two rooms had a window or any source of natural light and ventilation.
We must point out that extensive conversations with locals, school officials, families and even children confirmed Marak’s claims that he was funding the education of these underprivileged children. However, that said, the living arrangements left a lot to be desired. There was no kitchen or utensils. How then, were the children fed and who fed them? Also, why were the children kept in such inhumane conditions when space was clearly not an issue?
The girl that went missing
The police have been at the centre of this story, and for good reason: after all, it is the police who claimed that the aforementioned farmhouse was a ‘brothel’. In a conversation with EastMojo on July 26, West Garo Hills Superintendent of Police (SP) Vivekanand Singh Rathore said since most of the rooms from where the minors were rescued were locked, the police broke the door of one of the rooms ‘out of curiosity’. “In that room, we found female clothing, so we decided to break open every room and check. It was in the second room that we found several bottles of liquor. In the third room, knives were recovered along with crossbows and arrows, which were common weapons during the militancy days,” said the SP.
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What actually happened at the farmhouse? What are the locals saying, and is this simply a case of political vendetta as claimed by the BJP or is there something far sinister taking place?
The first thing that becomes obvious when you visit Rimpu Bagan is that it is in the middle of a jungle in Edenbari, located about 8 km from Tura town. Interestingly, ‘Rimpu’ is Bernard’s nickname, but the place’s history is far more interesting. The location—deep inside a forest with only a narrow dirt road leading to the farmhouse—was in part because it was once a designated camp of the faction of the now-disbanded Achik National Volunteer Council (ANVC-B), which was active between 1998 and 2012, primarily in the Garo Hills.
As you approach the farmhouse, on first impression it looks like a simple, single-storey building. However, go a little closer, and you realise that the farmhouse, located on a hillslope, has two floors ‘below’. Curiously, considering this was a ‘farmhouse’ belonging to a powerful local leader, there was no entrance and no reception. Maybe this was the fallout of the raid, but we could not confirm the same.
The farmhouse’s architecture gains significance because it was mentioned by BJP president Ernest Mawrie in his statement issued right after the raid on Saturday. He described it as a three-storey building with the ground floor being used as a banquet hall which is rented out for the stated purpose. The first floor comprises 30 rooms which are used for homestay. The second floor is used as a hostel for underprivileged children from different areas of Garo Hills.
However, when EastMojo visited the farmhouse, we found that the top floor consists of five small rooms, all lined in a row, with an attached toilet. The stairs leading down to the second floor open to an empty hall. Across the hall, a narrow passage leads to other, smaller rooms. The ground floor also has a hall with rooms. This is where five minors—four boys and one girl—were rescued, according to the police.
Between unknown and ambivalent: Marak, the farmhouse, and education
Andy (names changed to protect their identity) said that they have always known Rimpu Bagan as a hostel and a guesthouse. “We have never been there, but from what we heard, it is a farmhouse and people go there during weekends to celebrate birthdays and other occasions,” he added. He had good things to say about Merak, stating that Marak is a good man.
Andy also narrated that his sister’s son was picked from Rimpu Bagan during the raid and later released on bail.
The farmhouse itself looked exactly like a place raided by police: pieces of broken wood scattered all over, doors broken, and a passage leading to two dingy rooms which looked more like detention centres than rooms for students. None of these two rooms had a window or any source of natural light and ventilation.
We must point out that extensive conversations with locals, school officials, families and even children confirmed Marak’s claims that he was funding the education of these underprivileged children. However, that said, the living arrangements left a lot to be desired. There was no kitchen or utensils. How then, were the children fed and who fed them? Also, why were the children kept in such inhumane conditions when space was clearly not an issue?
The girl that went missing
The police have been at the centre of this story, and for good reason: after all, it is the police who claimed that the aforementioned farmhouse was a ‘brothel’. In a conversation with EastMojo on July 26, West Garo Hills Superintendent of Police (SP) Vivekanand Singh Rathore said since most of the rooms from where the minors were rescued were locked, the police broke the door of one of the rooms ‘out of curiosity’. “In that room, we found female clothing, so we decided to break open every room and check. It was in the second room that we found several bottles of liquor. In the third room, knives were recovered along with crossbows and arrows, which were common weapons during the militancy days,” said the SP.
#EastMojo #EastStory #NorthEastIndia
*****
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Visit our website: https://www.eastmojo.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eastmojo/
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