Prohibition

The District Magistrate of Ri Bhoi, Nongpoh has imposed Section 144 CrPC in the whole of Ri Bhoi District, prohibiting forcibly obstruction to the movement of vehicular traffic and public along the National Highway-40 and other roads within Ri Bhoi District causing inconvenience to the general public, transport operators and outbound/inbound passengers, shopkeepers and affect the peace and tranquility in the district.

 Beautification of Khyndai Lad

Meghalaya Chief Minister, Dr Mukul Sangma will launch the scheme ‘Addressing Traffic Congestion in Shillong City and Beautification of Khyndai Lad’ at Khyndai Lad in front of MUDA shopping Complex at 5pm on Friday. Adviser to the Chief Minister Friday Lyngdoh, Home Minister HDR Lyngdoh, Minister of Water Resources AL Hek will also attend the function.

 New Branch

The Syndicate Bank will open its new branch at Umkdait, Nongmynsong at 10am on Thursday.

Janet Hek

Janet Hek, resident of Nongrah (Dong Ktieh) passed away on Wednesday. The funeral will take place at the Laitumkhrah Catholic Cemetery at 1.30pm on Friday.

From Our Correspondent

 Guwahati: There was a time when the days before election used to be days of feasting and merrymaking for voters in Assam especially in the tea belts, minority dominated areas and in tribal belts with political parties were out to please and impress them at any cost.

But those days have become part of “electionlore” with hawkish poll observers appointed by the Election Commission of India trying get minutest detail of poll expenditure incurred by every candidate. They even count the number of chairs in place in an election meeting. Making the candidates extremely conscious about their spending.

Even after hours long drive along the highways in poll-bound Assam through tea belts and tribal hamlets, one can count the number of big banners of poll candidates on its finger tips. There would be hardly any rally of motor cycles or cars for candidates.

“There was time when the work in the tea estate came to almost halt few days before the election as all the candidates used top flock tea workers residential lines to hold meeting and distribute gifts, cash etc., while public feast was omnipresent on every night. We used to enjoy those days of attention on us by poll candidates who, we knew, would not come to us before the next election. But today, election has become such a dull affair with no feast, not cinema shows, few mundane meetings. Something has seriously goner wrong with polls these days,” says Rabin Munda, an aged tea worker from Sirajuli Tea Estate in Sonitpur district.

People in the Bodo tribe dominated Bodoland Territorial Council districts in North and West Assam also have the similar views to give over the election atmosphere prevailing out there which in sharp contrast to what it used to be in the past.

In tribal belts of the State, poll time used to become sort of an opportunity to showcase ethnic groups’ rich culture and culinary skills thanks to benevolence of poll candidates.

“Those festivities during poll time now has become a thing of past. For our children election means just to cast his-her vote on the day of polls. One way it is good that the new system has prevented waste of time and money in the name of election,” said Thomna Bodo of Tangla town in North Assam.

Delayed police action gives suspect time to escape

From Our Correspondent

 TURA: Term it as lack of co-operation between police from both states or delay in taking action but the prime suspect in the ritualistic murder of a seven-year-old child inside the BSF campus in Praharinagar, Tura has gone missing from his home in Mancachar town of Dhubri district in Assam ever since police teams first went in to take him into custody for questioning.

The alleged tantrik Lukman Haqib has gone missing from Mankachar after Assam police released him on a PR Bond from Hatsingimari police station, 30 kms from Mankachar town on Friday.

When a police team from Garo Hills was first dispatched to bring in the god man his supporters, allegedly at the behest of the local AIUDF MLA, forced the Assam police to release him on the PR bond.

A mob of four thousand people surrounded the police station and refused to allow the police to take their self-styled god man into custody forcing the police to return to Tura empty handed.

The Shillong Times has obtained detailed information that the self-styled godman or tantrik Lukman Haqib resides in Kushnimara locality near Jaodanga of Mankachar town. He runs a grocery store and also acts as an imam teaching the Koran to young children.

Interestingly, the tantrik also happens to be an agent for a finance agency called Golden Trust and Financial Services limited of Kolkata, West Bengal. The same company faced a case in the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission by an appellant Smt. Sushila Pal way back in 2008-09.

The prime accused tantrik’s house has been under lock and key in Mankachar since the time the Meghalaya police first tried to obtain his custody last week. His wife and children also remain untraced.

The disappearance of the god man will be a severe blow to the entire investigation on a case that medical doctors and police believe to be the first case of child sacrifice ever to be reported in the Garo Hills.

The system in which the Assam police acted in failing to get the accused into custody will also raise many troubling questions on the credibility of the force in that neighbouring state.

By Our Reporter

 SHILLONG: Founder Strong Cajee, who was earlier sacked from the Dr Mukul Sangma-led MUA Cabinet, was on Tuesday administered the oath of office as Parliamentary Secretary.

Cajee was administered the oath of office by the incumbent Chief Minister, who, was responsible for sacking the former Urban Affairs minister after he revolted against Dr Sangma’s leadership.

Government officials including some Cabinet ministers besides Chief Secretary WMS Pariat were also present at the swearing-in ceremony.

Reacting to queries on the sudden induction of Cajee as Parliamentary Secretary, the Chief Minister said the Government has been working as a team to serve the people and the respective minister can engage parliamentary secretaries in different Government works. It may be

mentioned that Cajee along with three other ministers Prestone Tynsong, Augustine D Marak and FW Momin were dropped from the Cabinet earlier this year after they revolted against the incumbent Chief Minister.

Commenting further on the functions of parliamentary secretaries, Dr Sangma said, “They assist ministers in administration work and they also review and monitor the different programmes of the Government.”

With Cajee’s appointment, the State Government now has a total of 15 parliamentary secretaries.

Meanwhile, Cajee expressed happiness on his induction.

“It is my pleasure to serve people at any level and I will always abide by the party’s directives for the betterment of the State,” Cajee stated while talking to reporters after the swearing-in ceremony.

Questions raised over human sacrifice theory

From Our Correspondent

 TURA: Many questions have been raised towards the issue of human sacrifice in regard to the death of seven-year-old Krishna Singh inside Praharinagar BSF camp in Tura whose lifeless body was found on the morning of October 6.

There have been critics who point out that any form of human sacrifice includes the beheading of the person or animal sacrificed at the altar, but others tell of a different story.

Human sacrifice was practiced by many ancient cultures. People would be ritually killed in a manner that was supposed to please or appease a god or spirit. While not widely known, human sacrifices for religious reasons still exist in a number of nations albeit discreetly.

The post mortem report on the death of the innocent child has been clearly mentioned as nothing short of a macabre ritualistic sacrifice — in other words a human sacrifice.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) GHP Raju and Deputy Commissioner of Tura, Sanjay Goyal, who were both privy to the post mortem report have categorically pointed that the allegation of sodomy of the child was completely ruled out in the autopsy report.

“The medical doctor who did the autopsy has very clearly mentioned in her report that she was shocked to see precision cuts into select parts of the child’s body which could not have been done except by a professional,” said IGP Raju.

Tiny needle-like precision punctures depicting the numerical sign 3 was found on Krishna’s chest just above the heart. A pierce was also made below the child’s right ear through which the main Carotid artery that supplies the blood to the brain is located.

One particular sect that once upon a time conducted human sacrifice in the country use to pierce the carotid artery to draw the maximum blood which would then be placed as offering for the gods.

All preliminary investigations are now pointing to a ritualistic homicide done by a professional that is nothing short of a human sacrifice, said IGP Raju.

It has also been placed on record by the autopsy team that the wounds on the child’s body were all Ante-Mortem — injuries caused before his death.

“Certain individuals or groups may question the meaning of human sacrifice in today’s world but the investigation presently underway points to nothing short of a ritualistic sacrifice,” said Raju who is supervising the entire investigation to nab the killers of the child.

Victim sacrificed for well-being of unborn child?

One ritual to help conceive by a barren woman and another to ensure the hassle free birth of the child is one angle of the entire investigation underway by the Tura police into the mysterious death of 7 year old Krishna Singh inside BSF headquarters in Praharinagar, Tura.

Police investigation have not ruled out murder by the suspect Babu Khan, arrested and remanded to police custody, for appeasing the gods and thereby ensuring a trouble free birth of his child that is due in three months time.

Despite six years of marriage, Babu Khan’s wife allegedly failed to conceive and it was only after a meeting with the godman or tantric called Lukman Haqib of Mankachar that the situation changed for the better. His wife is presently six months due.

“In such cases fakirs perform a ritual for the woman to conceive and another to save the foetus from miscarriage. We believe the second ritual was meant to be a sacrifice of a young boy,” said police investigators in Tura.

Such a medieval practice is believed to be still prevalent in the BIMARU states of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh and also the tribal state of Jharkhand thanks to ignorance among the general population.

By Our Reporter

 SHILLONG: The State Government has rejected the fears that the ongoing four-laning work on the Jorabat-Umiaw stretch of NH-40 would be scrapped by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) if the ongoing controversy is not solved at the earliest.

Talking to media persons here on the project, Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma stated that NHAI is only the implementing agency of the project and the Ministry for Road Transport and Highways is authorized to scrutinize the progress of the project.

Fears were raised by the NGOs of Ri-Bhoi that the project may be cancelled by NHAI due to the new proposal for re-aligning the four-laning at Umsning instead of the earlier Bypass proposal.

Pointing out that the work for the project is going on the Chief Minister asserted that the Government will be engaged in complete monitoring to ensure that the project is completed within the time limit.

According to Dr Sangma, roads are vital for making Meghalaya the number one tourist destination in the North East and the four laning is a must to boost the tourism sector of the state.

“We have already asked officers to engage the stakeholders and NGOs for discussions to solve the issue at the earliest,” he added.

Reacting to a query about the demands of the NGOs, he said, “The Government wants to listen to the demands of the NGOs and we will examine it and this issue was also raised in the Assembly.”

The NGOs in Ri-Bhoi are opposing the move of the State Government to construct the road through the existing Umsning road and they have also been demanding to hold talks with the Chief Minister himself on the issue.

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) has already called for night road blockade along the arterial National Highway connecting Guwahati and Shillong and a day-long Ri-bhoi bandh in protest against the State Government’s decision to build the four-lane highway along the existing highway at Umsning.

“Everything is not important for the Chief Minister to talk as there are different levels of talks and the NGOs must have confidence on the officers,” Dr Sangma added while reacting to the queries on the demands of the NGOs.

By Our Reporter

SHILLONG: On the evening of October 10, a young man, William Carey Manner and three others who came out of a local bar in Iew Mawlong got into an altercation with some bystanders. This incident is sought to be given a communal colour, East Khasi Hills DC, Jopthiaw Lyngdoh said.

He informed that some criminal elements are trying to foment trouble by asking shops around the area to down their shutters. The East Khasi Hills, DC has appealed to the public to maintain calm and not to give credence to rumours.

Lyngdoh said some miscreants have been spreading rumours that William Manner had succumbed to his injuries at the Shillong Civil Hospital, when actually Manner was released from hospital on Tuesday morning.

The DC stated that this incident has created unnecessary tension and panic among the general public.

On Tuesday, rumours flew thick and fast that a major law and order problem was afoot in the Iew Mawlong area. Shops downed their shutters after it was rumored that a procession would be taken out to condemn the assault on Manner. Speculations about the death of the young Khasi lad had been spreading since Monday night. Phone calls were pouring in to media houses inquiring if the young man had really died.

Following the spread of such rumours, the police have intensified patrolling throughout the area to take stock of the situation.

Additional SP (Crime) Vivek Syiem said there were some trouble mongers who asked the shopkeepers to close down their shops, claiming that the young man who was assaulted had died.

“We are trying to trace the culprits who have created this unnecessary panic among the general public,” Syiem said.

“Actually, Manner along with three others was in an inebriated condition when they were assaulted. This incident took place right in front of Balvinder Bar,” a senior police said.

He also said that the young man was in state of drunkenness when he was admitted in the hospital.

“We have intensified our patrolling in the whole area to ensure that no one takes advantage of this situation,” Syiem said.

Service to be launched by December

By Our Reporter

 SHILLONG: Encouraged by the hugely-successful SPTS bus service launched in the city recently, the State Government is now contemplating to run 20 maxi taxis to further strengthen the public transport system in the city.

Informing this here on Tuesday, Principal Secretary, Urban Affairs, P Naik said the 7-seater maxi taxis would be launched on a trial basis on specified routes.

The maxi taxis would cater to those areas and routes where the SPTS buses have not yet been introduced.

“The proposed maxi taxis have been awarded to the State under the 13th Finance Commission,” Naik told reporters here on Tuesday.

“This proposed move will further ease traffic congestion in the city,” Naik said, adding the Government has planned to launch the taxis by December this year.

Meanwhile, Naik also informed that some buses, procured under the 13 th Finance Commission, would be allotted to other municipal areas of the State.

According to Naik, Tura would be given 10 buses while Baghmara and Resubelpara would be provided with two buses each. Jowai will be given 5 buses while Williamnagar will have four buses.

The decision to introduce the bus service in other towns of the State has come as a response to the growing demand for introduction of the highly-successful bus service in other towns.

Meanwhile, Naik informed that Global Position System (GPS) navigation system would be installed on these buses within a month. “In next six months we will procure all the remaining buses sanctioned to us,” Naik added.