Editor,
There are some stories that persistently haunt our minds, no matter how much time passes. The Unnao rape case is certainly one of them. Just picture this: a young girl from a small town in Unnao, who goes to a powerful politician, hoping he might help her find a job. She trusted the leader from her constituency — and who doesn’t? The family believed the MLA would use his position, his influence, and his power for the righteous cause. But what followed was “unrighteous” –the nightmare. Former MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar raped the minor girl. This happened in 2017. It was alleged that he raped the girl multiple times, devastating not just her life but also her entire family’s world.
Now pause and ask yourself. What kind of courage does it take for a minor girl to stand up against a man who had served as MLA for four terms? Thank God, the family didn’t give up. They kept fighting. They kept knocking on the doors of justice. But fighting powerful people in India is like wrestling with shadows. You never know where the next blow will come from! The victim’s father was beaten, falsely accused, and thrown behind bars. There, he later died in judicial custody. Isn’t it heart wrenching?
Another nightmare! A heavy truck, its number plate “deliberately blackened”, smashed into the car carrying the survivor, her lawyer, and her two aunts. The victim’s two aunts died. Coincidence? Hardly. When a truck rams into a car more than once, it doesn’t look like fate. It is a well- conceived, murderous plot. The CBI also registered a case of criminal conspiracy and murder, linking this crash to attempts to silence witnesses in the rape case. Just imagine the ordeal endured by the victim and her relatives throughout.
Amidst the victim’s family’s security concerns, here’s my honest question: were security guards ever deployed to protect them from the allegedly corrupt leader? No, not at all. The court never ever thought along those lines.
Just think about it for a moment more pragmatically. This girl had already survived rape. And now she had to survive an attempt on her life. All this while mourning the aunts who died protecting her story and seeking justice.
Finally, after a long wait of two years, in 2019, a court convicted the MLA and sentenced him to life imprisonment. For once, it felt like the judicial system worked. The powerful man was behind bars.
But that relief was seemingly short-lived. Just a week ago, the Delhi High Court suspended his sentence and granted him bail. The news shook the heartbeat of the right-thinking population. How can people stomach the fact that a man convicted of raping a minor, and allegedly linked to a deadly crash involving the victim’s family, is walking free? Is it not like watching the jail doors swing open for crime itself?
To everyone’s relief, the high-pitched media coverage and consistent outcry from the masses finally pierced the ears of the apex court. The Supreme Court couldn’t help but quickly pronounce a stay on the High Court order on December 29.
Yes, the “fact” that the Delhi High Court granted bail to the alleged convict in this rape case, despite the deadly car crash meant to eliminate witnesses, as contested by the CBI, put the entire judiciary in question. It points to something gravely shady, a sign of deep-rooted corruption.
Hence, given the malice, considering brutal conspiracies, intimidation, and life threats, one can strongly believe that the aggrieved woman’s battle isn’t just hers anymore. It belongs to all of us who believe that justice shouldn’t depend on how much power you have. It should depend on what’s right and what’s wrong, on what is moral and on what is immoral.
Thank God, the victim’s case has now drawn the attention of a brave heart — Yogita Bhayana, a social activist determined to fight not only for this survivor but for every Nirbhaya, every Damini. Will we stand with her?
Yours etc.,
Salil Gewali,
Shillong
Linking CSR of Coke Oven Plants to Pollution Impact & Local Development Priorities
Editor,
Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I wish to draw the attention of policymakers, industry leaders, and the general public to the urgent necessity of problem-linked Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in areas surrounding coke oven plants, with special reference to Meghalaya. The Government of Meghalaya needs to act now, particularly in districts where industrial activity has begun to exert visible pressure on fragile ecosystems and vulnerable communities.
Coke oven plants are indispensable to steel production and economic growth. However, they are also among the most pollution-intensive industrial units, emitting particulate matter, hazardous gases, and liquid effluents that adversely affect air quality, water sources, soil fertility, and public health. In Meghalaya—an ecologically sensitive State with high rainfall, forest dependence, and community-based livelihoods—the consequences of such pollution are far more severe.
Districts such as Ri Bhoi District, East Jaintia Hills District, West Khasi Hills District, South West Khasi Hills District and others have witnessed increasing industrial and allied activities in close proximity to villages, agricultural land, and water sources. In these districts, rural and tribal communities are compelled to bear a disproportionate share of environmental and health risks, despite having limited institutional capacity to respond.
In this context, CSR must not remain a generic exercise confined to token donations or one-time activities. CSR expenditure should be directly linked to pollution externalities arising from coke oven operations. Air pollution concerns must translate into CSR-supported community air-quality monitoring systems, green buffer zones, and respiratory health programmes. Water contamination and scarcity demand safe drinking water projects, rainwater harvesting structures, and restoration of local streams and springs that serve as lifelines for villages across these districts. Soil degradation and livelihood losses require targeted agricultural support, soil rejuvenation measures, and income-restoration initiatives for affected households.
Equally vital is the alignment of CSR initiatives with District and State development plans, and with Meghalaya’s unique governance framework under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. CSR projects must be planned in consultation with District Administrations, Autonomous District Councils, and traditional institutions such as Village Durbars, so that they complement public investment rather than duplicate it. Such convergence will enhance accountability, strengthen local ownership, and ensure long-term sustainability.
India’s CSR framework under the Companies Act, 2013 mandates eligible companies to allocate a portion of their profits towards social development. For industries operating coke oven plants in and around Meghalaya, this obligation must be enforced in the spirit of the polluter pays principle, where responsibility is proportionate to environmental impact and ecological sensitivity.
The onus now lies squarely on the Government and regulatory authorities to ensure strict monitoring, district-wise CSR convergence, and time-bound action—especially in Ri Bhoi, East Jaintia Hills, West Khasi Hills, and South West Khasi Hills districts. Responsible industrial growth is possible only when economic progress advances hand in hand with environmental protection and social justice. Delay today will only deepen ecological damage and social justice. Delay today will only deepen ecological damage and social distress tomorrow
Yours etc.,
Forwardman Nongrem,
South West Khasi Hills
