Editor,
The 6th of June marked the second death anniversary of Shillong brave heart, Ïohbianghun Sahkhar, the MTDC employee who was murdered for trying to expose the corruption and sex racket at the corporation where she worked as Assistant Manager.
Her murder shook the state of Meghalaya in 2019 and thrust her in the limelight — but all too late. The ringmasters of the well-planned murder as well as the actual offenders of the horrendous act remain at large, or yet-to-be-proven-guilty, but her passing has left a void in the lives of those who knew her.
Her murder continues to face condemnation here in this Christian majority State. While the Conrad Sangma-led NPP government has shown no concrete inclination to punish those in power responsible for her death, let alone express its slightest displeasure, if at all, for such acts, the pages of future history are forever maligned by other similar acts that continue to surface even after Sahkhar’s untimely passing.
The State government may hide behind the veil of doing actual work rather than talking, but the fact remains that silence can sometimes be misinterpreted as indirect approval. However, a couple of those who lamented her death, demanded the government to honour her with an “Integrity Award” and called upon it to punish the offenders became the target of vitriol and online death threats. Since when did it become wrong to condemn a killing?
Ïohbianghun Sahkhar may have died, but the cycle of events post her death points to the fact that, if anything, her murder has only immortalised her. Cheers to a brave heart!
Balahun Syiemiong
Malki, Shillong – 793001
