Editor
I write to express my horror at the death of four year old Insaphira Lyngdoh Mawnai, of Nongrah, Shillong, her body discovered on Sep 15, 2025, one day after she went missing. My heartfelt condolences to the parents and family of this beautiful child. How they are coping is beyond me. The loss of a child is heartbreaking enough. But to lose a child through such malevolence is even worse.
The perpetrator(s) are indeed, “monsters in our midst.” Of all members of civil society, the child is the most precious — to be cherished, honoured, and protected by everyone. The loss of even one child through wilful malevolence is one loss too many. It is a sign of the breakdown of civil society. To blame social media, or the Internet is to skirt the issue. The loss of this precious child should lead to deep soul-searching, as to what prompts such evil in an adult.
I can imagine the fear and anxiety rippling through the hearts of Shillong parents. Given the times, who can they trust their precious children with?
May the prayers of the Shillong community ease the pain in the hearts of Insaphira’s parents and family. May this precious child rest in peace.
Yours etc.,
Deepa Majumdar,
Via email
Justice for Insaphira: Say No to Violence
Editor
I am writing with a heavy heart and profound anguish to express my utter shock and condemnation over the tragic and brutal murder of four-year-old Insaphira Lyngdoh Mawnai of Nongrah, Shillong. The news that this innocent child was found missing on the morning of September 14, 2025, and the next day discovered dead just 200 meters from her home, buried in muddy water and covered with construction stones in an unfinished building has shaken our community to its core.
How can a society allow such a heinous crime to be committed against a defenceless child? Insaphira’s life was snuffed out in the most cruel and inhumane manner, right under the nose of her neighbourhood. This is not just a personal tragedy for her grieving family. It is a collective failure of our civic responsibility, law enforcement, and moral conscience.
This incident reminds us of the recent horrific case the honeymoon couple, where Sonam Raghuvanshi allegedly killed her husband Raja in a shocking act of betrayal and violence. That case too sparked widespread protests and demands for justice. These two tragedies, though different in circumstance, share a disturbing common thread. The alarming rise in violent crimes and the urgent need for stronger safeguards, faster investigations, and stricter accountability.
We, the people of Shillong, must come together to demand immediate, speedy and transparent investigation into Insaphira’s murder with zero tolerance for delay or negligence.
Let Insaphira’s death not be in vain. Let it become a turning point: a moment when Shillongites rise as one to say, “Enough is Enough. Our children deserve safety. Our families deserve peace. Our city deserves justice.
Yours etc.,
Dr Omarlin Kyndiah,
Via email
Innocence Betrayed: The Crime That Broke Our Hearts
Editor
The brutal murder of little Inshapira from Nongrah has shaken our conscience and left all of us numb with grief and rage. This is not just a crime against one child; it is a wound inflicted on all of humanity.
One cannot begin to imagine the fear that innocent child endured in her last moments. Childhood, which should have been filled with play and laughter, was instead smothered in terror. The thought of her cries—too soft for the world to hear—brings unbearable pain to every parent’s heart. For her parents, the agony is lifelong and irreparable. A mother who carried her for nine months, a father who held dreams for her future, are now left with only memories and an unending void.
This is an act of savagery that no civilized society can condone. The culprit, once found, must face the most rigorous punishment the law can provide—swift and uncompromising. Anything less would be an insult to the memory of the child and a betrayal of justice itself.
But beyond justice, this tragedy is a reminder of our collective responsibility. If a child is not safe in her own neighbourhood, where then is she safe? Parents now live in fear, schools and streets feel unsafe, and the very freedom of childhood is under siege.
We must act. Stronger safeguards in schools and localities, community vigilance, and collective guardianship of our children are urgent necessities. We cannot let fear rule our homes or silence our voices.
The tragedy of Nongrah must not fade into another passing headline. It must be a turning point. For our children are not just our joy; they are our future. Their safety must be our greatest priority.
Yours etc.,
Jairaj Chhetry,
Via email
Has Society Failed Its Children
Editor,
With respect to the recent news of the brutal murder of a young girl, as a concerned teenager who has clearly seen the dangers that pose a threat to our very existence, I hope that what I’m about to speak reaches many and I believe that “The Shillong Times” provides that platform.
With the unsettling news of how within a short span of time so many terrifying incidents have happened in Meghalaya where we see that no safety is guaranteed to children in schools, public places and even in a place we so thought to be the safest, our home, where children playing in the front yard has now become unsafe, we begin to question the standards of human decency that we as a society are upholding.
It all traces back to the inefficient practice of the law and as a society we have to admit that we have failed miserably. Drugs are smuggled under the eyes of the officials yet the ones who gain feel no pain but the silent roar of the innocents just fades into oblivion.
Yours etc.,
Davini Shwa Malngiang, (Student of Aakash
Coaching institute)
Assam