New Delhi: A Facebook post decrying violence against non-tribals has led a village council in Meghalaya to file a police complaint against a prominent journalist. Editor of The Shillong Times, Patricia Mukhim had written on her Facebook page, on Friday, about an attack on five boys at a basketball court on July 3. “The attackers, allegedly tribal boys with masks on…should be immediately booked. This continued attack on non-tribals in Meghalaya whose ancestors have lived here for decades, some having come here since the British period is reprehensible to say the least,” Mukhim wrote, tagging chief minister Conrad Sangma.According to PTI, 11 suspects have been detained, but none have been arrested so far.In her post, Mukhim had also questioned the “Dorbar (Council) Shnong” for not taking preventive action. “Don’t they have their eyes and ears to the ground? Don’t they know the criminal elements in their jurisdiction? Should they not lead the charge and identify those murderous elements? This is the time to rise above community interests, caste and creed and call out for justice,” she wrote.In the complaint, Lawsohtun headman Lurshai Shylla said that Mukhim’s statement incited communal tension and might instigate conflict.Mukhim had also written that no attackers have been arrested since 1979 and penalised as per law, which “suggests that Meghalaya has been a failed state for a long time now”.According to the complaint, Mukhim’s post had led to media organisations in West Bengal to give a “communal colour” to the incident by invoking the 1979 riots. This, the complaint alleged, puts Khasis outside the state in “extreme danger”. East Khasi Hills district Superintendent of Police Sylvester Nongtynger said the police are examining the complaint against Mukhim regarding the comments. In a In response to the complaint, PTI reported that Mukhim has asserted that she will “fight it out (in court)”.In 2018-2019, Mukhim had made news after the Meghalaya high court took exception to an article published by the paper seeking better amenities for retired judges and their families.
