Justice mocked, victims silenced: RPP slams UDA over Reny Wilfred sexual assault scandal

“Justice is only for the powerless, and protection is the privilege of the powerful,” says RPP

The Rising People’s Party (RPP) has expressed “outrage and deep dismay” at what it calls the “shocking inaction and deliberate lethargy” displayed by the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Government and State Law Enforcement Agencies in handling the sexual assault cases involving senior IAS officer Reny Wilfred.

The RPP, in a statement, described the situation as “an unpardonable travesty of justice” that an officer “accused of heinous crimes—including POCSO violations—continues to roam free, mock the judiciary, and even hold press conferences to deflect blame, while his victims suffer in silence.”

The party claimed the case “lays bare the ugly reality of two contrasting systems of justice in Nagaland — one for common citizens and another for well-connected bureaucrats.” While “ordinary Nagas face the full might of the law for minor infractions,” the RPP said, “this high-ranking officer, Mr. Reny, with multiple offences — earlier accused under POCSO in 2021 and now with an FIR filed with multiple women accusing him of workplace sexual harassment — enjoys extraordinary immunity despite multiple serious allegations.”

Highlighting the lack of action, the RPP pointed out that “instead of suspension, arrest, or disciplinary action, Wilfred has been shielded, transferred, and even allowed to publicly slander the system — a privilege no common criminal booked under POCSO would ever get.”

The party further criticized Wilfred’s recent public appearances, stating that “Wilfred’s press conferences outside his official assignment and unrelated to his department, including sharing his personal matter, are unbecoming and blatant.” The RPP added that this has “exposed the rotten core of our governance system where power protects its own.”

Under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, trials are mandated to be completed within one year. However, the RPP highlighted that “three years later, Wilfred remains unpunished, unfazed and unaccountable”.

Further, the RPP accused the UDA Government of making “a mockery of the rule of law” and sending “a chilling message to survivors of sexual violence across the state — that justice is only for the powerless, and protection is the privilege of the powerful.”

The RPP demanded the “immediate arrest and suspension of Reny Wilfred pending trial” and the “fast-tracking of the proceedings to ensure justice for the minor survivors and harassed women employees.”

Stating that “the complicity in the case has already convicted the UDA government in the court of public opinion,” the RPP warned that “the people of Nagaland will not tolerate a regime that protects predators and punishes victims.”

“It’s time for the government of the day to wake up and act,” the party asserted, adding that “the dignity, security, and rights of women must never be compromised.”

MT