By Albert Thyrniang
The alleged outrage of the modesty of a mentally challenged girl in Tura on 21st June and the subsequent mob violence as a reaction took everybody by surprise. Indefinite curfew had to be imposed in Tura town accompanied by clamping of night curfew throughout West Garo Hills. It tells us of the sensitivity of the matter. Next day was the mass exodus of labourers from Tura and some parts of Garo Hills. Thousands of skilled and unskilled workers from the plain belt of Meghalaya and Assam left Tura by government buses amid tight security.
Even after three days, night curfew is not lifted. Tension still prevails. It has extended to the plain belts of Rajabala, Tikrikilla, Phulbari and Mankachar areas. As the mortal remains of one of those killed in the violence in Tura was handed over to the relatives, emotions ran high. Women and children in villages in Meghalaya bordering Assam had to flee their home to take shelter in more interior and safer places. Hope backlash does not take place!
In September last year an American Israeli film maker, Sam Bacile, allegedly made a movie portraying prophet Mohammed as a philanderer. When excerpts of the film was dubbed in Arabic and posted on YouTube, it enraged Muslims in the Arab world, North Africa, Middle East and even in South East Asia who engaged in mob violence resulting in the dead of four US diplomats in Libya and large scale destruction of especially US embassy property.
The target of the fury was not only the anti-Mohammed film maker. It was against the anti-Muslim policy of the US – overthrowing of regimes in Muslim countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt and Libya and the human right violations of its soldiers like the US Marines urinating on the dead Taliban fighters. It was a reaction against hundreds killed by the US in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. It was clearly an anti-US sentiment. The anti-Muslim film was a pretext, an excuse to destroy US interests.
The mob’s anger after the alleged molestation in Tura was directed not only at the ‘molesters’. It was directed at a long-held grouse. The Garos living in Assam villages bordering Meghalaya on the Garobadha-Mankachar road are constantly harassed by a particular community. Their crops are destroyed, their cattle killed and stolen. People in these villages have to guard their animals throughout the night. In 2005 I spent a night in a village called Uringmara. In the room I was put up were also goats, cows and chickens. My childhood intimate association with these domestic animals was not much of a help as the stench and noise meant that I spent a sleepless night. Because of the constant harassment many Garo families have to migrate to the Meghalaya side of the border. Thus New Chondonpara village came into existence.
Even in the Meghalaya side of the border Garo villagers face harassment and intimidation on a regular basis. On the night of May 5, a gang of dacoits from Assam descended on a Garo village near Garobadha in Meghalaya-Assam border. They ransacked and vandalized households, stole and killed cattle and molested and raped women. No action was taken till date. Not a single dacoit was arrested. The villagers have to suffer the loss and humiliation alone. They have to live in fear and insecurity day in and day out.
More recently there was that shameful twin rape incident of two minor sisters in Ampati. The accused, Nurul Islam, a policeman of the rank of Sub-Inspector and in-charge of Ampati Police Station was arranged to escape by his seniors and juniors. After committing the crime on March 13 and March 31, the 46 year old officer was brought to Tura on June 2, placed in his house and finally allowed to make his escape. Though the incident took place in the home constituency of the Chief Minister himself, the police are still clueless in tracing their suspended colleague. He is still absconding. He is still in hiding. He is yet to be arrested. He is yet to surrender.
The point is that people have lost faith in the government, the police and the law enforcing agencies. The law does not seem to work. So what do people do? They take law into their own hands! People went to Civil Hospital, demanded that the accused who were admitted there be handed over to them. They would deliver justice. This may be called ‘kangaroo court’. But what is the alternative when law does not deliver justice? When their demand was not met the mob attacked innocent travellers, shops, police personnel, journalists and even doctors. It is not justified but that was what happened!
About a decade ago in Khasi Hills the HNLC became popular when they punished rapists by drilling holes into their ears, put huge locks into them and made them stand on public roads with placards around their neck that read, “I am a rapist.” Incidents of rape went down drastically. Now the HNLC has disappeared but the irony is that cases of rape have increased manifold. Every day we read stories of rape and molestation of children, minors, majors and even elderly in news paper. Many more cases are unreported. The police are unable to control the menace. They do not even want to arrest rapists like Nurul Islam. If they are arrested they are kept in police custody, remanded to judicial custody, put in prison for a while before they are out on bail. There may be investigation, prosecution but verdict is rare. Rapists and potential rapists do not see the whole process as a deterrent.
The aftermath of the molestation charge in Tura conveys a message. The harassment of the Garo community in venerable places must end. Additionally, the law enforcing agencies must ensure that law works. The police must now apply the law equally so that people repose their faith in them. When people think that law does not work the result could be disastrous. They could take law into their own hands. There will be anarchy and mayhem. There will be lawlessness. Such incidents as occurred on Friday last will be repeated!
In the meantime, it is important to remember Aristotle’s famous quote, “Man is a rational being”. The alleged outraging of the modesty of a differently-abled girl in Tura is condemnable. But the violent reaction to it is also unacceptable. However serious a crime is, taking law into one’s hands, killing of innocent people, vandalising shops and vehicles, attacks on journalists, hospital staff and even doctors are unjustified and unjustifiable. We human beings are governed by law and reason and not by emotions or passion. We are more human when we are ruled by reason.