Editor,
The series of incidents that have taken place since the gunning down of former HNLC General Secretary, Bah Cheris Thangkhiew on Friday last indicate a collapse of the law and order machinery. How could the police be so unprepared as to be attacked by a mob and to leave their post and to run for safety without putting up a fight? They even left their weapons behind and the mob got a free run of that vehicle and the ammo before the vehicle was burnt. It’s unbelievable that a police force that entered the home of a surrendered militant and shot him instead of simply overpowering him and arresting him for questioning should find itself running away from the battlefield. This is demoralising for the public who now know they cannot rely on the police to secure their lives and property. If this is not a collapse of law and order then I wonder what more to expect!
As a citizen who has been observing the situation since the MDA Government came to power I see that the corruption in the form of illegal coal mining and transportation is being allowed to flourish. Then there are those coke plants that have just come up in East Jaintia Hills and West Khjasi Hills. It needed a public outcry for the Government to take action. Is this Government working against all environmental norms while its Environment Minister keeps talking about the climate change crisis? What hypocrisy is this? All these hypocritical acts have given rise to hordes of malcontents amongst the youth who are just waiting to vent out their anger and frustration. The death of Bah Cheris has given them a cause to come together under one umbrella and to shout anti-government slogans.
In fact, many fiery speeches were made at the residence of Bah Cheris before his funeral, many of them directed at the police. As a peace loving person I hope that this incident does not flare up into another law and order situation. We have enough problems dealing with Covid and its ugly ramifications. Today there is a ban on internet and curfew has been imposed. This is to contain the situation which seems to have gone completely out of control with all Covid protocols thrown to the winds. If the internet ban continues the online classes will be disrupted and that will be a huge loss especially for high school, college and university students. It seems like calamity is on us all of a sudden. The misfortune for the people of Meghalaya is that there is not even a single statesman at this juncture that can come out to lead us without expecting something in return. We are tired of politicians and their popularity contest. I am sure many agree with me. Politicians are in fact the ones who have got us into all these problems in the first place. Now many want popularity even from Bah Cheris’ death. All our social institutions seem to have failed too. We need fervent prayers to save us from imminent doom and destruction .
Yours etc.,
Kyntiew Sing Nongrum,
Via email
We will not react but will respond
Editor,
It is a tragedy when those who are supposed to govern over their people, no longer see themselves as shepherds, but rather behave more like tyrants and dictators. The thought that a single individual with a knife could have the strength to overpower a group of well-armed, well trained and well equipped policemen, does not only defy logic, but is a great insult to the intellect of any average layperson with basic common sense. The big question is not whether the deceased individual is guilty of the crimes he was accused of, but rather that the judiciary was not even given a chance to exercise its duty, if that should have really been the case. The really disturbing thing about this incident is that nobody seems to be accountable to anyone. Lawlessness breeds lawlessness, and it is a sad thing when it is the ordinary public who always have to pay the price to satisfy the need of some power hungry politicians, bureaucrats, law enforcers or individuals. As a person of faith, i would like to humbly remind all of us, that God does not need man’s certification to prove that He exists, but because God is the only reason why we exist, all of us will have to give an account to Him for how we live our lives, be it kings or subjects. The temptation is to immediately react to what has happened, and swing to the opposite side of the pendulum by taking up arms and using violence, when we can be wiser than those in authority by simply stating, “We won’t react, but We will surely respond”.
Yours etc.,
Pyndapbha Warjri
Shillong- 2