Editor,
The news that flash on our screen and reports in the newspapers disturb the very core of our souls. A few days ago a 6 year old girl was raped by 3 minors aged 13, 14 and 15 in Delhi and now we learn of a case of incest here in our very own state. Three brothers sexually assaulting their three minor sisters is enough to make one’s hair stand on end. Added to this is the fact that the mother was well aware of it but kept it a secret. I’m sure as a mother she does not and never will condone this act of her children but must be filled with shame and fear. It also conveys the message that the world is gradually moving towards a point of inability and unwillingness to set right what is wrong. Words like conscience, morality, sin appear to be mere words with little to no meaning at all.
Rape, violation of girls and women, illicit relations especially within the family are violations of norms both moral and social and even religious. What is worrying is the increasing number of such crimes that seem to have exceeded all limits. Can we afford to allow the world we live in to be one that demonises us humans? Can we remain silent and untouched and merely thank God that it is not us or not anyone of our own? When a crime is committed, the law must take its course. Justice must be provided to the victim and punishment be awarded to the perpetrator without disparity on the basis of ages when the crime is of the same intensity and nature that an adult may commit. The law is not merely to correct but to act as a deterrent. Hence justice must be swift and stringent.
As families we all need to do some soul searching and work hard to live morally well and not waver from the path of righteousness and morality. The home must be a place that comforts and shapes the mind and soul of its inmates. We cannot keep mum and merely feel the fear and disgust and forget about it. If it is happening in this very world we live in we have to work within our individual hearths and homes with our kith and kin to steer clear from what can cause harm and shame. Everything begins at home. Once the home is safe and secure, the rest of our lives and this whole wide world will be a place filled with love and righteousness. We owe it to ourselves just as we owe it to each other.
Yours etc.,
Jennifer Dkhar,
Via email
When the Chief Minister is the harasser
Editor,
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s recent declarations urging citizens to “trouble” Bengali-speaking Muslims by underpaying labourers and asserting that “Miyas will face trouble as long as I am CM” represent a dangerous normalization of state-sanctioned discrimination that strikes at the heart of India’s constitutional democracy.
By openly advocating economic harassment as a tool of expulsion “If he asks for a fare of Rs 5, give him Rs 4 only” Sarma has transformed the office of Chief Minister into an instrument of persecution rather than protection, violating Article 14’s guarantee of equality and Article 21’s right to dignity for all persons within India’s territory.
His administration’s simultaneous push to delete “4 -5 lakh Miya votes” during electoral roll revisions while claiming the term refers exclusively to “illegal Bangladeshis” exposes a deliberate conflation designed to disenfranchise an entire linguistic-religious minority, including citizens whose families settled in Assam during British colonial rule or Partition-era migrations when such movement was legal and state-sanctioned.
The Supreme Court has never endorsed collective punishment based on linguistic or religious identity; Sarma’s selective citation of judicial observations to justify harassment constitutes a dangerous distortion of constitutional morality.
When a constitutional functionary sworn to uphold the law declares that his mission is to “make people suffer” until they flee the state, he doesn’t merely cross ethical boundaries he weaponizes governance itself for demographic engineering, eroding federalism’s promise of equal citizenship. These remarks have rightly triggered police complaints for inciting hatred under Sections 153A and 505 of the IPC, and demands for judicial intervention from civil society and opposition parties.
The appropriate response isn’t partisan retaliation but unwavering insistence that no elected official regardless of party affiliation may convert public office into a vehicle for ethnic cleansing by bureaucratic means. India’s democracy survives not through majoritarian assertion but through the stubborn protection of minority rights; when that principle fractures in Assam, it threatens the constitutional compact binding every Indian state.
Yours etc.,
Marbiang L Rymbai,
Via email
A Call for Accountability
Editor,
I wish to begin by extending my sincere credit to the organizers of the recently concluded Revival Healing Festival 2026. To pull off a historic success of this magnitude with only one month of preparation is nothing short of remarkable. However, I must write to express my deep indignation regarding the failure of the Ri Bhoi Police and the district administration to manage the staggering traffic congestion on the NH 30 bypass during the final two nights (January 29th and 30th).
My family and I were trapped in a chaotic bottleneck for four gruelling hours. A standard two-lane road was inexplicably allowed to morph into a lawless six-lane mess, stretching over five kilometers. Most distressing was the sight of ambulances caught in this gridlock. While we, by the grace of the Almighty, reached the venue at 6:38 PM, a long trail of vehicles remained behind us—many likely carrying ailing family members who could not reach their destination on time.
This experience left me both angry and deeply concerned. The organizers had informed the Ri Bhoi Police and district administration well in advance, seeking the necessary assistance. To see such a total breakdown in order is not a matter of incompetence, but sheer negligence.
With an expected turnout of 1.8 lakh attendees, the authorities knew exactly how this situation would unfold. They had the roadmap; they simply failed to act on it. Personnel should have been dispatched to every critical junction, from Lad Umroi to Lad Nonglakhiat, Mynsain, and Lad Bhoi Rymbong. If manpower was the issue, why was assistance not sought from the East Khasi Hills police? Proper management would have saved thousands of commuters from unnecessary distress and headaches. One can only imagine the nightmare faced by the families of patients trapped in those ambulances.
Regrettably, a culture has taken root in Meghalaya where the police seem paralyzed unless ordered by the “babus” of the higher echelon. It is time for this system to change. This debacle highlights a profound lack of concern from the state government. It appears that unless a “fancy festival” is raking in the “moolah,” the administration remains indifferent. For VIP events, they will turn the world upside down to ensure their high-level officials have a smooth ride on our national highways. But for the common citizen, we are met with a “CHALTA HAI” attitude.
It is not okay. Shame on you.
On a concluding note, I once again congratulate the GATEKEEPERS and Pastor Crosslin Marbaniang for making the Revival meeting a grand success. Glory to the Almighty!
Yours etc.,
A.Laitphlang,
Shillong-2
