Meghalaya must have set another record when a lady MLA, Roshan Warjri was given the Home portfolio a post normally reserved for senior male politicians. Normally the Home Minister is the second most important person in the cabinet. The Home department is undoubtedly a very challenging one considering that the Garo Hills of Meghalaya is wracked by militancy. There are three militant outfits in Garo Hills which includes one breakaway faction of the Achik National Volunteers Council (ANVC) that is on suspension of operations (SOO) agreement with the Central Government. The previous government has been tentative about tackling militancy. It has been a case of one step forward and two steps backward. This tentativeness has to end. Ms Warjri will have to show firmness in handling law and order by ensuring discipline right across the police hierarchy. It is important to send the message that she means business and will not tolerate any tardiness as far as implementation of the law is concerned.
Meghalaya is the only state after Tripura which has tackled militancy without the help of the army, so far. A brief intervention by the army vide Operation Birdie in West Khasi Hills in 1994 ended in disaster as the army personnel were not familiar with the terrain. But in 2001-2002, under the leadership of Dr FA Khonglam and with RG Lyngdoh as Home Minister the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), the Khasi-hills based militant outfit suffered serious setback after their sources of funding were plugged through a series of offensives from the state. Also, the civil society of Meghalaya was instrumental in the campaign against militancy as they had reached a point of compassion fatigue as far as gun battles were concerned and extortion was destroying entrepreneurship.
Meghalaya suffers from the problem of low conviction rates – as low as 4% in 2011 as per the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB). Crime against women is also on the rise. This could be one reason why a woman minister has been given charge of Home. Ms Warjri has also been Chairperson, State Commission for Women and knows the extent of the problem of sexual violence. She would definitely be more empathetic about the sufferings of other women. In all therefore this is a well considered move and we hope that Warjri proves equal to the task.