SHILLONG, June 13: In the wake of the sensational honeymoon murder in Sohra, the Meghalaya government on Friday decided to strengthen an existing legislation aimed at ensuring the safety of state residents and curbing the entry of criminal elements posing as tourists.
The move comes weeks after the gruesome murder of Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, who was killed during a honeymoon trip to Sohra, in a plot orchestrated by his wife and her lover.
“The cabinet today decided to revisit the Meghalaya Resident Safety and Security Act (MRSSA), 2016, an existing state legislation, to add more teeth to this Act to minimise the possibility of criminal elements entering Meghalaya in the guise of tourists,” Cabinet spokesperson Paul Lyngdoh said after the cabinet meeting here.
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“The government will soon come up with a formal proposal to further strengthen the MRSSA,” he said.
The 2016 Act was originally introduced to enhance the security of Meghalaya residents through the vetting of tenants and tourists.
It allows for identity verification through a tourism-specific app and has provisions similar to those under the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system, which the state has long been seeking from the Centre.
According to Lyngdoh, the Assembly had adopted a resolution demanding implementation of the Inner Line Permit in Meghalaya.
“The matter is pending before the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. There were several queries from the Ministry which the state government had addressed,” he said, adding that the Union Ministry had expressed concern since Meghalaya is a transit state to other parts of the North East.
The Cabinet minister also informed that the MRSSA is already a very effective legislation, which will need a little bit of “upscale” as of now.
The urgency to revisit the Act was triggered by the case involving Sonam, the wife of murdered businessman Raja.
She had allegedly conspired to kill her husband along with her lover and his friends, and entered Meghalaya under the guise of a tourist.
According to Lyngdoh, the Cabinet placed on record its gratitude to the entire police department for cracking this case in record time and arresting all the accused, saving the state from a “bad name”. (PTI)
