SHILLONG: It is not exactly Merry Christmas for several families whose loved ones are no more with them to celebrate the festival this year.
For the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones this year, Christmas would pass off as a painful event.
With the death of P.J. Marbaniang touching almost a year now, the question of whether the late officer of Patharkhmah outpost was murdered or died he commit suicide remains a mystery for the bereaved family.
His widow and mother though are still struggling for justice.
Christmas will also not be the same for the loved ones of young Intelligence Bureau officer, Vikash Kumar Singh, who was killed by insurgents in South Garo Hills District of Meghalaya. His body was found on October 24 days after he was kidnapped by gun totting men.
The family of late Havildar Khomraj Bhattarai were left shattered after his decomposed body was recovered almost a month after he was abducted by militants. His body was recovered from a shallow grave near Tapa Darengchi area in North Garo Hills.
Perhaps, the only consolation for these families will be that these officers lost their lives while in the line of duty. This festive season will also leave an indelible void in the hearts and minds of several families who lost their loved ones in cases that have become an enigma. One such family is that of late Victoria Kharkongor who was found dead in the washroom at Dispur police station on July 5. While Dispur police claim that she committed suicide, others allege that she was raped and then murdered.
Another family facing the same painful situation is that of Mawramsong Kharhujon, who went missing from the domestic terminal of the Mumbai airport only to be found dead later at a local hospital there. His death remains a mystery.
It will however be a very joyous Christmas for the family of Dinarsing Syiemlieh and two daily labourers who were abducted earlier this month but were released unharmed.
