People of Meghalaya have all but forgotten what it is to live in fear; to close shop by sunset and not to be able to observe the two important national holidays – Republic Day and Independence day. Those were the years when militant outfits called the shots. After the year 2000 when Meghalaya had a no-nonsense Home Minister the gun-toting outfit sent feelers to come overground. Many took up the challenge of pursuing livelihood activities with Government assistance. Since then, life has almost returned to normal and tourism is booming. Police Bazar is a great indicator of the number of visitors thronging the state. Add to that the visitors in the state’s rural tourist hubs and you have a fairly huge number. Tourists visit Meghalaya because it is a safe place. And this important aspect must never be lost sight of.
It is now a matter of speculation as to who could have been behind the series of arson in the early morning hours of June 6, largely targeted at Government vehicles, most probably parked by the roadside and a tourist taxi in another locality. That the arson occurred within a very narrow window, reportedly between 3 am and 4 am on the same morning and vehicles were targeted in different locations speaks of a well-coordinated plan. Hence it could not have been a random act. The question is who is behind this act. Some groups are known to use petrol bombs as a strategy to intimidate individuals or departments they have had disagreements with. East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem stated that investigators are trying to determine whether the attacks were coordinated. This indicates that the possibility of a common plan is the central line of inquiry. No arrests have as yet been made and neither has any group claimed responsibility for these series of actions. It is also uncertain as to which group or groups have a grouse against the Government at this point in time since no group has placed any urgent demand recently. The motive is therefore unclear.
So while the series of incidents appear to be linked to one group because of the timing, method and target selection, the perpetrators are yet to be identified. This is why eternal vigilance is needed, more so in a state that has a history of such attacks in the past. Investigation into such crimes require that police have close co-ordination with the local dorbar shnong and a healthy police-public relation. There was a time when some DGPs made this aspect an important part of their agenda. But later the police-public relationship just fizzled out. At this point there are only conjectures that the departments targeted might have been selected because of local grievances. Normally one department that is usually targeted is the Police Department. So, what is it in recent times that the Police Department has done to anger or frustrate any organisation or pressure group? What law enforcement actions were taken against any group? Perhaps that’s where the answer lies. But getting to the root of the matter is imperative as this could escalate into future undesirable actions that could endanger public safety.
