Editor,
Our Chief Minister claims that the people responsible for dousing Vikash Nandwal with petrol and setting him on fire will be brought to justice. But let me ask Dr. Sangma – how many people have been brought to trial and convicted in the last few months? The figures show that Meghalaya Police has an unenviable conviction rate of less than 1%, which is probably the lowest in the world barring a few African countries and failed states like Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan. The state police have no defence left for their unremitting failures. The local policeman’s aversion to real policing duties (as opposed to traffic duties) has been thoroughly exposed. Their low morale, lack of intelligence, gaps in training, archaic methods, obsolete equipment and above all, dearth of quality leadership has placed Meghalaya Police firmly at the bottom of the pile. They seem to be quite content at the bottom, making no attempt to pick themselves up in the last couple of decades. The only frequent change in the Police Dept. is a steady stream of pre-retirees taking over as DGP. Most DGPs do not even last a year, or at best a couple of years. The majority are reluctant, and have to be arm-twisted into giving their grudging consent. Therefore, one must ask – what kind of crisis leadership can we expect from a police officer past his prime and expected to be out the door in a year’s time? Even in the unlikely event that this person is still operating at peak efficiency in his golden years, how is he expected to revamp the department in a year’s time? Can he take a strategic approach to policing, considering the limited amount of time that he has, or should he just kick the ball around till his expiry date arrives? The latter approach seems to be the safer and generally preferred mode of operation. It is time for the State Government to introspect and rework the policy for appointments and promotions in the police department. This is critical, for the simple reason that leadership must come from the top. Unless this happens, the idea of a modern police force will remain a distant dream. We will continue to see our policemen fumbling and bumbling their way into disaster with atrocious conviction rates. Law and order will continue to be the preserve of the elite. The Chief Minister must take immediate and tangible measures to revamp the police department and reassure the citizenry with speedy trials and convictions.
Yours etc.,
Daisy Kharkongor
Shillong
Hold KSU accountable!
Editor,
KSU has got away with anti-social acts for too long. They are a menace to everybody. The recent incident where a trader from Motphran was burned by KSU cannot be ignored. Govt must ban KSU organization and arrest the leaders. There is no point arresting and releasing KSU members unless MLP is doing it to fool the public. People are wise to the dirty politics govt and KSU is playing. The same KSU members will become politicians and join Congress after a few years.
Yours etc.,
Janice Dhar
Jowai
Home Minister’s vacuous comment
Editor,
In the midst of unrest where a man was immolated in the city’s busy market, Bara Bazaar, on broad day light, it is utterly ridiculous that the home minister stated that “the situation is under control”. Which part of the bold attempt made by the miscreants is under control? The part where they poured petrol on him or the part where they lit up his body in flames? We do not expect our leaders to make such insensitive and objectively incorrect statements during times of crisis. We expect them to tell us the truth and solve the problem as soon as possible.So dear leaders, pull up your socks!
Yours etc.,
Binietta Majaw,
Via email