Editor,
In response to the news report, “HYC demands apology from IPS Officer posted at Sohra” (ST April 21, 2015, I would like to put forward the factual account of what had in fact transpired on that particular day. On April 10, 2015 at around 1 pm, I received a call from the Principal, Ram Krishna Mission School , Cherrapunjee that some men calling identifying themselves as Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) members came to their compound and chased away the volunteers who had come to work for the mission. I was attending a Crime Conference meeting in Shillong at that time. I detailed my boys from the Thana to go to the spot immediately. On reaching there they informed me that the miscreants had already left the place after chasing away mission workers from Bengal, further adding that the school workers told the police that they were members of HYC. The School authorities did not press charges as they felt it would disturb the peace and they being mission workers preferred peace. I immediately went back to Sohra and on further enquiry found that the men who had gone there were in an inebriated state. It was important at that juncture to find who these miscreants were as incidents like these could take an ugly turn if not sorted out immediately. Since no one came forward with any leads, I thought it best to ask from the President HYC, Mr Sha Nongrum himself who resides in Sohra. After repeatedly failing to get in touch with him over phone, I visited his residence along with the Thana staff but he was not at home. We left a notice of appearance before Sohra Police Station on the same day i.e. on April 11, 2015 at 5 pm.
He failed to appear and since then I have been trying to get in touch with him over phone but in vain. On the April 13, a group of men came to the Thana at around 2 pm and most of them later identified themselves to be members of HYC. I heard one or two of them speaking in English before entering my room. After I called them in I asked if they are comfortable speaking in Hindi or English to which there was no reply. After asking them again they replied “In English.” They said they understand both the languages but ” REFUSE” to answer in either as according to the “RULES” of the Council they are only to speak in Khasi. I then called a Thana staff who could speak Khasi and through him I told them of the incident that happened on April 10, 2015 and that I needed their cooperation in order to identify those miscreants. They did not give satisfactory replies to the questions I put forward and also did not provide their proper residential address and contact numbers when asked. Then the previous Officer In Charge of Sohra PS came in to mediate. After I took down the names and addresses of the people, they left saying that they would enquire into the matter and intimate the Police. That was what had happened on April 13. I am yet to receive the enquiry which they said they would conduct. The allegations that I called the men drunkards and backward are fictitious and malicious and are intended to cause trouble to officers doing their duty.
The reason I feel this response is important is because the report brought out by your paper smacks of a communal undertone. The report is one-sided, malicious and defamatory and puts me, an officer serving the state, in a bad light. I have the utmost respect and love for the people of this State and would on no account or even under any duress cause harm or undermine anyone. I bear my allegiance to the Constitution where I have sworn to serve and protect the citizens of this country to the best of my ability. I will continue doing that, but in the pursuit of my duty there are elements in the society who for their vested interests harp on such publicity stunts to malign the reputation of officers.
Yours etc.,
Yangchen D Bhutia IPS(P)
ASP East Khasi Hills
Letter unwarranted
Editor,
Apropos the letter to the editor, by Jayashree Dutta (ST April 22, 2015) the contents came as ‘bolt from the blue’ for the family members of Late Durga Prasanna Chakraborty. The family wants to convey that the views expressed are those of the writer alone. Late Durga Prasanna Chakraborty was a humble person, and in his death, all that the family members pray for is peace for the departed soul.
Yours etc.,
Sanchita Chakravorty Dey
D/o Late Durga Prasanna Chakraborty
Shillong-1
Awareness programme needs tweaking
Editor
I congratulate the Police Department on holding the recent awareness program on “Drug Abuse, Traffic Rules & Cyber Crime” for schoolchildren. The idea of catching them young is 100% correct! But the Police did miss a few tricks, which I would like highlight as feedback to them for improving the efficacy of their laudable program.
1) To make these programs truly effective, the Police Dept must conduct awareness/training programs at the premises of individual schools, instead of holding them like a function at a public ground. This will ensure greater efficacy due to smaller audience sizes. This will also enable teachers to reinforce these lessons continuously in the classroom long after the actual session has ended.
2) The frequency of such programs can be worked out depending on the time and resources available to the Police Dept. However, the frequency should not be greater than bi-yearly in any case. Any time longer than six months between two successive events would not have the desired outcome.
3) Information booklets and mementos (mugs, badges, banners, etc printed with appropriate slogans) should be distributed to the participants. This is an important part of the reinforcement theory, and its efficacy should not be taken lightly.
Therefore, a little more investment and thought in this direction will go a long way in ridding society of social evils. The key lies in reinforcing positive behaviours, in smaller audiences, with greater frequency. I thank the Police Department for this noble effort and hope to see positive changes and good results once they tweak their program.
Yours etc.,
Jerry Lyngdoh
Shillong-3.