Meghalaya

Tension prevailed at the College of Post Graduate Studies in Agricultural Science, Umiam on Monday as hundreds of students staged a protest demanding immediate action against a senior professor accused of sexually harassing a female student. The protesting students gathered on the college campus carrying placards and raising slogans against Professor Pranab Dutta, Chairman of the School of Crop Protection at CPGSAS, CAU (Imphal), Umiam. The demonstrators condemned the alleged misconduct and called upon the institution’s authorities to terminate him from service without delay. Students alleged that the accused professor had repeatedly behaved inappropriately with the victim, stating that despite earlier complaints being submitted to the concerned authorities, no concrete action ha...

The national prelude to the Shillong Literary Festival concluded in New Delhi on May 9 after two days of discussions focusing on literature, culture, ecology, food, sports and storytelling from Northeast India. The event, organised by the Meghalaya tourism department at Bikaner House, brought together writers, filmmakers, policymakers, journalists, entrepreneurs and artists ahead of the sixth edition of the Shillong Literary Festival scheduled to take place later this year in Meghalaya. The discussions during the event mainly focused on increasing cultural representation of the Northeast, preserving indigenous traditions and creating wider economic opportunities for the region through tourism, sports and creative industries. One of the major sessions on the second day featured fo...

The Khasi Students' Union (KSU) on Saturday elected a new Central Executive Council (CEC) for the 2026-2029 term, marking the end of the leadership of Lambostarwell Marngar and Donald V. Thabah. The election was held at Dinam Hall with polling conducted from 7 am to 3 pm under the supervision of election committee president Danny Khyriem and general secretary Samuel Jyrwa. Raymond P. Kharjana and Reuben A. Najiar were elected president and general secretary respectively, both uncontested. Pynkmenlang Sanmiet was also elected vice president uncontested. Elections were also held for several other key posts. The newly elected office bearers include Pynshaiborlang Rani as assistant general secretary, Cleanstar Shabong as organising secretary, Alerick Kharjana as education secretary, Py...

A court in Meghalaya has rejected the bail petitions of four persons, all co-accused in the murder case of Indore-based trader, Raja Raghuvanshi. The four co-accused, currently lodged in a prison in Shillong, were arrested from separate locations in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in June 2025 following the alleged murder of Raghuvanshi, who was on a honeymoon trip to Meghalaya with his wife, Sonam. On April 27, the court had granted conditional bail to prime accused, Sonam, holding that the police had failed to properly communicate the specific provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita under which she had been arrested, as required under Article 22(1) of the Constitution. Following Sonam’s release on bail, the counsel for the four co-accused had moved the court seeking similar re...

Unidentified miscreants allegedly vandalized a Hanuman Mandir in the Garikhana area of Shillong and decamped with idols, silver ornaments and cash after allegedly disabling CCTV cameras, police said on Sunday, May 10. The incident reportedly took place around 1 am under the jurisdiction of Lumdiengjri Police Station. According to the police, the accused allegedly entered the temple by breaking open a side entrance before ransacking the premises. Based on a complaint filed by Ravi Sharma, the miscreants are suspected to have stolen idols of Lord Krishna and Radha, a small idol of Lord Hanuman, silver ornaments, and several brass ritual items, including water pots, lamps and plates. An undisclosed amount of cash was also allegedly taken from the temple’s donation box. The main idol ...

The famed Living Root Bridge emerged as the main attraction at a two-day cultural event celebrating the heritage, traditions, and artistic legacy of Meghalaya, which began on Sunday. Titled “Ever living Meghalaya: Echoes of the Past, Voices of Today”, the event featured stories, music, art, food, workshops, and immersive installations inspired by the hill state’s rich cultural identity. A specially created installation of the iconic Living Root Bridge, built using raw materials as a model of the original structure, drew large crowds at Bikaner House. The exhibition highlighted Meghalaya’s deep ecological traditions and the enduring relationship between land, people, and culture. Through visual storytelling, archival material, traditional crafts, and live artistic expressions, visitors wer...

Shillong is gearing up to host the 55th edition of Bob Dylan Day, regarded as the world’s longest-running tribute to Nobel Prize-winning music icon Bob Dylan. The two-day celebration will be held on May 23 and 24. The annual tribute is spearheaded by legendary Indian rock musician Lou Majaw, who has been celebrating Dylan’s birthday in Shillong continuously since 1972. Over the decades, the event has evolved from a small gathering of friends into a major musical tradition that attracts fans from across India and abroad. The programme is being organised by Mawjam Event Network in collaboration with the Lou Majaw Foundation. Reflecting on the legacy of the celebration, Lou Majaw said Bob Dylan’s music inspired generations by showing that songs could become a medium of protest, storyt...

Police and rescue personnel on Sunday recovered the body of an unidentified person from a water-filled coal mine shaft in East Jaintia Hills district. The body was retrieved from a coal mine shaft at Moolait Bri Sumer village after local residents alerted authorities about a corpse floating inside the pit. Police and rescue teams, assisted by the State Disaster Response Force, later carried out the recovery operation. East Jaintia Hills Superintendent of Police Pankaj Kumar Rasgania said the operation was difficult due to the depth of the shaft and the waterlogged condition of the abandoned mine. “The body had likely been there for a few days, and we do not yet know the circumstances behind this tragedy. The body has been sent for post-mortem examination and further details will em...

The Meghalaya government has constituted a Commission of Inquiry headed by retired judge T. Vaiphei to investigate the incidents that led to unrest and violence in the Garo Hills region following the filing of nomination papers for the elections to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council on March 9. According to an official notification issued by the state government, the Commission has been constituted under Section 3 of the Commissions of Inquiry Act in view of the violence, social unrest, and the resulting loss of lives and property in the region. The inquiry panel, chaired by Justice (Retd.) Vaiphei, has been tasked with examining the circumstances that led to the March 9 incident in West Garo Hills and preparing a comprehensive fact-finding report on the acts or omis...