Shillong, Oct 10:Leader of the Opposition Dr Mukul Sangma has expressed deep concern over the repeated cases of children being murdered in Meghalaya, holding the government responsible for not addressing the acute shortage of manpower in the police force.
Speaking to reporters, Dr Sangma said the state needs to look at the problem through a wider lens. “If this vicious environment is allowed to continue, it will become a breeding ground for criminal minds and the consequences will be dangerous,” he warned.
Meghalaya has been rocked by three murders of minors in the past month, two in the Shillong area and one in Ri-Bhoi.
Dr Sangma said such crimes were unheard of in the state in previous years. He argued that peace does not simply mean the absence of militancy or terror activities. “Every petty crime provides space for bigger crimes to grow and that is exactly what we are witnessing now,” he stated.
The former Chief Minister also flagged the problem of youths in rural areas indulging in illegal activities, adding that the police are struggling to cope with the situation due to lack of manpower. He noted that even senior police officers have raised concerns with him about this problem and he also suggested that corruption is to blame for the vacancies in the police force, with sanctioned funds for salaries being siphoned off.
Dr Sangma urged the state government to conduct an audit of every police station in Meghalaya to determine the exact number of vacant posts. “When the police are compelled to function with such constraints, it naturally leads to crimes of this nature becoming rampant,” he said.
He also took a dig at the government for failing to strengthen initiatives like the Safe and Secure Shillong project, launched during his tenure. According to him, the CCTV networks and infrastructure that were meant to be extended across Meghalaya have either vanished or remain underutilised. “Was this intentionally allowed to collapse, making it easier for crimes to go unnoticed?” he questioned.
Highlighting the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA), which empowers local Dorbars to play a role in maintaining order, Dr Sangma said the government had failed to build an ecosystem where the community is actively engaged in law enforcement.
