Editor,
We the concerned citizens of the State who visited Langpih, prayed and supported especially Pynshkem Nongshlong were shocked to read in the newspapers that Pynskhem Nongshlong and his team had decided to end their fast at the request of the “so called aspiring political leaders”. We want to know at whose advice Pynshkem undertook his fast. Was it his own decision or ill-advised by these “Leaders”?
We all know that Langpih is a vexatious issue now for 40 years and neither State is seriously concerned about the well being of people at the borders. The matter comes up only before the election season whether in Meghalaya or Assam…. So please don’t fool the innocent public. The issue will be dealt with by the Government only few months just before the elections so that political rewards will be reaped.
The question therefore is, “Who will be benefit from this drama? The agitators..? Or the advisors to the agitators? Or the Government of Meghalaya.? People of the State please don’t be carried away by issues or agenda emerging only before “Election Times”… I urge those Leaders to please do not disturb the public in their day to day life, or the schools or the business establishment just to suit your political motives
I urge Pynskhem and his team to continue doing what they have started. We are always with you in our silent prayers.
Yours etc.,
Bankiew B Kharsyntiew,
Via email
Shock and horror of the Guwahati incident
Editor,
The incident that occurred in Guwahati recently is spine-chilling. Twenty men (or more) molesting and stripping a girl in public is an act despicable beyond mention. That her cries for help went unheeded by onlookers and that she was abused for a full half-hour before the police came on the scene are shameful facts that do huge discredit to any claims we might have as a society that provides for the dignity and safety of women.
Here in the northeast, we cry hoarse whenever acts of discrimination and brute force are perpetuated against our people, particularly our women, in the metropolises, but this occurrence raises doubts over our own credibility as a community. Let’s not forget the incident in 2007 in that same city, when a young Adivasi girl was stripped naked while several in the vicinity only leered and took photos on their cellphones. In a less publicised incident in 2010, a Mizo girl was beaten up for asking for directions. What right do we have to point fingers, when we are equally guilty?
What is astounding is the nature of the narrative that unfolds whenever a woman is raped or attacked today. Her choice of dress, the places she frequents and the company she keeps are dissected ad nauseam, showing a frightening tendency to equate a woman’s freedom of choice with ‘looseness of character’. When will we stop blaming women? Instead of focusing on the need to identify and punish culprits with a firmer hand, and to reinforce security mechanisms that can enable women to roam freely without fear, we resort to Talibanic injunctions and choose to indulge in mindless character assassination of women who fall prey to assault.
To add insult to injury, a certain news channel went ahead and revealed the full name of the victim, denying her protection and the right to recover from her trauma in private. Journalistic ethics is also thrown into question, when we consider that the cameraman was quick to film the entire incident, but not quick enough to try and stop the attackers. Even if he was powerless to take action, it is undeniable that his presence worked the mob into a frenzy. What is also disturbing is the fact that the video of her assault quickly went viral on the internet even as news channels countrywide beamed the footage of the incident (some playing it on loop), thus feeding off the voyeuristic tendencies of audiences, all in an effort to garner TRPs. Such gross sensationalism only reveals the depths we have plummeted to, as a society that revels in collective outrage for a while, only to have it soon eclipsed completely by collective amnesia.
Every so often in this country, an incident of this nature occurs that dispels all illusions we have of being an egalitarian society. Close on its heels comes the news of the Dalit woman in Bihar who was beaten for visiting a temple, and in Baghpat, U.P., the district panchayat has issued several diktats against women which truly show a regression to a primitive era. As long as society fails to respect, protect and uplift women, I’d say it has neglected one of its most basic duties.
In this particular case, the beasts who molested the girl should be apprehended and punished in the most stringent manner as soon as possible. Setting a strong deterrent for such acts is the need of the hour.
Yours etc.,
Isawanda Laloo
Shillong-14
Shillong