CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG: Voice of the People Party (VPP) president Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit has launched a scathing attack on the state government, accusing it of presiding over a “total breakdown” of law and order amid rising crime and reports of disappearances across Meghalaya.
Basaiawmoit alleged that while the government displays “extraordinary urgency” in resolving cases involving outsiders — citing the swift probe into the murder of Indore tourist Raja Raghuvanshi and other missing visitors — it shows “shocking apathy” toward its own citizens. This double standard, he said, has left indigenous families feeling abandoned as they continue to wait for answers on their missing loved ones.
“There is lawlessness in the state… how many of these missing locals have been tracked down like the case of the Indore tourist?” Basaiawmoit asked, accusing both the government and the police of indifference.
Painting a grim picture of Shillong, once considered the pride of the Northeast, the VPP chief warned that the city was sliding into chronic insecurity. “Home robberies are happening daily, two-wheelers are being stolen regularly, crimes are taking place everywhere — how can we say Shillong is fine?” he said.
Taking aim at the Smart City Mission, Basaiawmoit argued that its promise of improved quality of life rings hollow when citizens feel unsafe even walking home. He further expressed concern about reports of local girls being assaulted and abandoned, cautioning that trafficking “cannot be ruled out.”
Reiterating that his party does not oppose government action in cases involving outsiders, Basaiawmoit stressed the need for equal seriousness when it comes to locals. “There are many families who still don’t know where their son, daughter or relative is today,” he said.
It may be noted that in the recent Assembly session, Deputy Chief Minister in-charge of Home (Police) Prestone Tynsong assured that the government is treating missing persons’ cases with seriousness, citing ongoing efforts to trace a six-year-old girl from North Garo Hills and a 17-year-old girl from Eastern West Khasi Hills.
Basaiawmoit, however, maintained that the people themselves were beginning to judge the government’s credibility based on its perceived differential treatment of locals and outsiders.
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