By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 15: A serious allegation of sexual harassment of several young women in Laitumkhrah area by a man driving a back Bolero vehicle has been made in a social media post, raining concerns over the safety of women in an already-volatile city.
The viral Instagram post, shared by a local user, alleged that multiple women had been harassed by an unidentified man driving a black Bolero who also engaged in obscene acts in front of them. Questioning the safety of women in Shillong, the user asked, “Why is this happening in Shillong? Who is this man inside the black Bolero?” According to the post, on October 13, a girl waiting for a Rapido near Loreto Convent was approached by the same man, who stopped his vehicle and performed indecent acts. When she walked towards the Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians, he allegedly followed her and repeated his behaviour.
The post further claimed that several young women later messaged the user, saying they had suffered similar encounters with the same individual. Some had approached local news outlets and even shared the vehicle’s number plate, but were reportedly told that a video was required for coverage.
The social media user said she was working to obtain CCTV footage and urged victims to come forward and file FIRs.
“This is not gossip about young women being harassed on the streets. This is serious,” she wrote. “Shillong has always been known as a safe city for women and children — but now, what is going on?”
Former Cabinet Minister and East Shillong MLA Ampareen Lyngdoh expressed concern over the social media post claiming harassment of several women in Laitumkhrah.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Lyngdoh said she has taken up the matter with East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police (SP) Vivek Syiem and the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Laitumkhrah Police Station.
“I am happy with the assurance of the SP that he will closely follow up on the incident and submit a report to help me understand what actually happened,” Lyngdoh said.
The MLA said she was shocked upon seeing the post and felt compelled to respond. “It is shameful to learn that such incidents are happening on the main road of Laitumkhrah — a locality known for its peace and vigilance, especially with the Dorbar Shnong and Seng Longkmie always alert,” she added.
Meanwhile, Lyngdoh said that since the vehicle number has been identified, the matter must be investigated seriously to ensure safety in the constituency.
Referring to the cases of crimes against minors, she advocated the need to speed up the investigation.
Expressing concern, Lyngdoh said that the delay in solving the cases would help embolden people intending to commit such crimes due to the slow progress of investigation and conviction.
She emphasised the need to identify deficiencies in the system, whether there are shortcomings in police investigations or flaws in the arguments of government lawyers when the matter reaches the judiciary.
The former Cabinet Minister said she would seek a meeting of different agencies, including the Police, Law, and Social Welfare departments, to detect the lacunae present in the system.
“My question is why the government lawyers are not able to get the conviction of crimes against minors at the earliest. We need to ensure that people who are responsible are convicted and punished as per the provisions of the law,” Lyngdoh said.
Lyngdoh also informed that she had spoken with East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem on the need for close coordination between different investigations to identify deficiencies and determine what has gone wrong in the investigation.
She also mentioned an incident in May where a father allegedly murdered his two minor children, aged four and two, by slitting their throats at Wahktieh, Nongrah Nonglum.
“The news has created a sense of fear among residents. But we are not aware of how far the investigation has gone and what else needs to be done,” the former minister questioned.
She observed that the police have done their duties, but nothing is known about the progress of the case.
Talking about the death of the four-year-old child in Nongrah, Lyngdoh said the victim’s father questioned the police version of the details about his daughter’s death.
She wondered if any counselling was provided to the family members to understand why they doubt the police investigation.
Lyngdoh also wanted to know how much more time police will take to identify those responsible for the murder of the seven-year-old boy from Nongrah.
