The state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has led the condemnation of the cold-blooded murder of a non-tribal labourer in Mawlai Mawroh today.
Masked miscreants in broad daylight entered a construction site at Umsohkhlur in Mawlai Mawroh, at around 11:15am today and assaulted three labourers working there on the construction of a house, leaving one dead and the other two injured.
Statements were issued by state BJP president Rikman Momin, cabinet minister AL Hek and South Shillong MLA Sanbor Shullai.
The victim, Arjun Ray, was a resident of Nongmensong, which is in Hek’s constituency. Hek had spoken with the family members of the deceased and assured to take the heinous crime up with the Chief Minister and all the way to the central government.
Strongly condemning the murder, Hek said that such inhumane acts have occurred from time to time and the government has not been serious enough against the culprits. These inhuman acts have a negative consequence on the state’s reputation and standing in the rest of the country and makes others think of Meghalaya as a land of barbarians, he told reporters.
Momin has decided to rush back to Shillong, cutting short a tour of Garo Hills, so that he can personally convey his condolences to the bereaved family and express solidarity with the injured persons.
“This cowardly, inhuman act must be condemned by all right-thinking sections of society,” Momin was quoted as saying in a BJP press release. “Such despicable acts bring our beautiful state into total disrepute and create a fear psychosis amongst all citizens of Meghalaya, no matter which community they belong to. There has been a spurt in such abominable crimes recently, shocking reports have emerged from various parts of the state, and this can no longer be tolerated by the peace-loving people of Meghalaya. I urge the state government to take immediate action and demand exemplary punishment be handed out to the perpetrators.”
A message from Shullai’s private secretary on the MLA’s behalf said that he too condemned the killing, not just at Mawlai Mawroh but also last month’s murder of two non-tribals in the Ichamati area.
Shullai also called on the state government to take strict action against the perpetrators. He promised to raise the killings with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and ask for more central government security forces to be deployed in Meghalaya in order to maintain order.
Denunciation of the crime has also come from other quarters, such as Thma U Rangli-Juki (TUR), an activist civil society group.
“This incident follows the gruesome attack at Ichamati and also incidents of blatant threats to labourers in Sohra,” it said in a release. “Targeted violence such as these are a shame to our society as a whole and all right thinking citizens of meghalaya need to condemn them and call for swift arrests of the perpetrators. We also need to call out our representatives and pressure group leaders who use such incidents to fuel narratives of hate by questioning the processes of law that book the criminals.”
Remaining indifferent to such instances of violence will allow for a culture of impunity and violence to take over, which will be detrimental to everyone, TUR added.
“How minorities are treated in society is the marker of the nature of that society itself. If we as a community do not condemn and isolate our own local majoritarian violence and communal ideas then we have no moral right to be anxious about majoritarian violence and discourse in India at large. Silence about criminality and mafiosi behaviour in our own backyard is not an option,” TUR said.
Social activist and politician Kyrsoibor Pyrtuh also expressed his deep concern and dismay over the increase in cold-blooded killings in Shillong and East Khasi Hills.
He stated that today’s incident has heightened the sense of insecurity among ordinary citizens, especially the poor and daily wage earners, and it is heartbreaking to think that innocent lives are being cut short by senseless acts of violence.
He emphasised that, as the situation worsens, the police are struggling to cope and bring justice to the victims. This has led to a growing sense of helplessness and frustration among the residents of Shillong.
Pyrtuh suggested that it is time that society takes a stand against targeted violence and demands peace, justice and solidarity with the victims. He urged people to boycott all election meetings until the candidates and parties commit to taking an honest stand against such violence.
The former pastor urged people to stand up and challenge hate speeches that are rife on social media platforms, which also act as breeding grounds for such violence.
