Dear Dr Mukul Sangma,
You must be aware of the developments which have taken place in the past few days in relation with a police complaint lodged by five individuals against a noted columnist of the state Ma HH Mohrmen who hails from Jaintia Hills.
In their First Information Report (FIR), the complainants alleged that the columnist, in his article which appeared in The Shillong Times, had “tarnished and damaged the reputation” of Mr. Bindo M Lanong, Deputy CM who also holds the mining and geology portfolio.
Following the complaint, police were prompt to summon Ma Mohrmen to the Laitumkhrah Police Station to quiz him on the edit-page special article against the “unregulated mining and the flagship programmes” of the Congress-led MUA government in Meghalaya.
The article had also questioned the government’s inordinate delay to come out with an official Mining Policy.
Mysteriously, the complainants had clearly mentioned in their FIR that the Deputy CM had already sent the policy on February 27, 2012 “which can be seen from the Cabinet Agenda Meeting on 28th February 2012 at 3.00 PM in the formal item No. 3 (copy enclosed).”
As you are aware, even media personnel who cover the customary cabinet briefings are not privy to cabinet agendas, and that the government, under no circumstances, makes the agendas available to journalists. In fact it is on record that even RTI activists of the State have repeatedly failed to procure the said documents on the grounds of they being considered “sensitive and confidential.”
In this instant case, it comes as a rude jolt that ordinary citizens were able to lay their hands on top secret documents.
The press fraternity of the state urges upon you to initiate a high-level inquiry to unearth how official documents of the cabinet were leaked out to ordinary citizens, which could pose a danger to the confidentiality of significant issues of the government and tantamount to breach of trust by the Cabinet whose constituents; the cabinet ministers have sworn the oath of office and secrecy before assuming their duties.
Thanking you in anticipation of your immediate intervention.
Yours sincerely,
David Laitphlang, President
Powell Sohkhlet, General Secretary
The Shillong Press Club