YUPIA- In a stunning escalation of public fury, senior IAS officer Talo Potom was remanded to 14 days of judicial custody by the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Court in Yupia on Monday, following his surrender in the heartbreaking Gomchu Yekar double suicide case.
The ruling came hours after chaotic protests erupted outside the court, where grieving family members of the 19-year-old victim, alongside community activists and locals, demanded swift justice and the harshest penalties for the accused.
Potom, a 2016-batch IAS officer serving as Secretary in the Public Works Department (PWD) in New Delhi, turned himself before the police today morning, capping a high-stakes manhunt that began after a lookout notice was issued.
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Named the prime accused in the FIR under sections for abetment to suicide, sexual harassment, and criminal intimidation, Potom was produced before the Yupia court later in the day, where the magistrate ordered his custody to allow for deeper investigations into the allegations.
The protests outside the Yupia court turned intense as over a hundred demonstrators, including Yekar’s mother who broke down in tears while addressing the crowd, chanted slogans against Potom and called for his immediate suspension from service.
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“Justice for Gomchu! No mercy for the powerful!” echoed through the gathering, with placards reading “End Exploitation by IAS Officers” and “Protect Our Youth.”
Family members accused the system of shielding influential figures, vowing to continue their agitation until all perpetrators face trial.
Security forces were deployed to maintain order, but no arrests were made among the protesters. This outburst follows a similar demonstration on Sunday at the Nirjuli police station, where Yekar’s relatives and supporters staged a sit-in, demanding Potom’s arrest amid growing outrage over the suicide note’s revelations.
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The note, recovered from Yekar’s rented room in Lekhi village on October 23, graphically detailed repeated sexual assaults by Potom.
A second suicide—that of a senior government official linked to the case—has compounded the scandal, though official details remain sealed. Prior to surrendering, Potom circulated a video denying the “malicious and fabricated” charges, labeling them a smear campaign against his decade-long public service.
The clip, now widely shared online, has fueled further division, with supporters questioning the note’s authenticity while victims’ advocates decry it as deflection.
Yekar’s family, reiterated their unyielding quest for accountability. “Gomchu was our future; his death exposes the rot in power. We won’t rest until truth prevails,” a relative told reporters.
Arunachal Pradesh Police addressed the media post-hearing, reaffirming commitment to an unbiased inquiry. “Forensic analysis of the scene, digital evidence, and witness testimonies are underway. The custody will ensure no tampering,” he stated, emphasizing collaboration with central agencies.
Investigators are also probing the role of RWD engineer Likwang Lowang, named in the note for similar exploitations. As Arunachal reels from this administrative earthquake, calls for civil service reforms intensify, spotlighting vulnerabilities in remote regions. The protests underscore a broader societal demand: power must never eclipse justice.
