The death of a young man at the prime of his life allegedly because the two- wheeler he was driving along with a lady pillion was rammed by a VIP cavalcade has raised the hackles of all who read or watched the news. A pall of gloom overshadowed the Cherry Blossom event at Ri Bhoi where celebrity performers apparently set the stage on fire. Large sections of the audience present at the rock show were however unaware of the tragedy until they saw the news. The media also reported another death at the bridge near Dwar U Ksuid the same day and the youth was apparently from Sohra. The question therefore is whether Meghalaya is ready for such a mega event where getting into the venue was in itself a huge exercise in body movement with vehicles being parked a kilometer away or further from the concert venue. While the organisers – the Government and event manager/s are well-intentioned, there is need for expert views on whether a crowd of that magnitude could be contained in what appears to be a constricted space. And in all of this, one important aspect is being hotly debated currently which is the VIP right of way. Why should VIPs enjoy the right of way to an entertainment event? Surely there was no emergency for them to reach the venue since they were not conducting any government business.
While Tourism Minister, Paul Lyngdoh whose security convoy allegedly rammed down the two-wheeler has denied the allegations, an enquiry is called for since a life was lost. Human life is precious and this incident cannot be brushed aside. Besides, there is such a thing as planning for a journey and allowing buffer time for traffic. A VIP cannot expect to take less time than the common citizen to reach a destination and therefore start late for an event with the knowledge that he/she can push through heavy traffic jams. This is inconsiderate, rude and downright arrogant.
Within Shillong city limits the buzzing of VIP siren breaks the silence every now and again. This is evident particularly around the Secretariat area where VIPs zip by every minute. Do they really need their cavalcade of security personnel to push through the slow-moving traffic? No, they don’t! The siren is an ominous reminder that a VIP has the right of way even if that means bulldozing through traffic jams. Interestingly, that same VIP becomes a common citizen and professes to be a servant of the people once every five years before being elected. There are other VIPs too but their movements are restricted to certain timings. They don’t need to move around to attend functions the way politicians do. Hence they are inobtrusive. The question for citizens to ponder therefore is if they will continue to remain complacent sufferers or fight for their right to end the VIP cult. Is this incident going to result in a citizens’ movement against the VIP culture? If not now, then when?
