GUWAHATI, May 8 – Guwahati, the gateway to the North-east, is fast turning out to be its crime capital as well, if the developments in the recent past are any indication. With its rapid expansion in terms of size and population, the city has witnessed a spurt in the number of crimes, including murder. But even more worrying is the fact that many of the murders have left the police clueless, with the culprits still at large. Swanomoyee Devi (98) of Jyotinagar was murdered on December 15, 2003 in broad daylight and her belongings, including a Maruti car, stolen. Success still eludes police, which is investigating the case. Govinda Das (65) was shot dead at Basistha on January 23 this year, and the police remains totally baffled till date. Then, a couple Sunil Sharma (25) and Saroj Devi (22) was stabbed to death at Lokhra on February 3. Although business rivalry was the suspected motive, the killers are yet to be identified.
A single lady, Umarani Sar who owned a cycle store was murdered at Birubari on April 24. No headway has been made in this case either. Again on May 3, Deepak Das was murdered in cold blood by three of his friends at the Railway Electric Colony, Uzanbazar. Despite police managing to establish their identity, the killers still continue to evade arrest. A couple of months back, one Achyut Baishya was found dead near the International Hospital, Christianbasti, but no breakthrough has been made in this case either.
Another gruesome murder took place at the high-security capital complex at Dispur on May 1 where Ajit Singh was the victim. Police arrested the alleged killer, Sunil Mishra but people suspect the involvement of some more hands in the incident. In the last case so far, a youth from Kohima, Morali Sharo (27) was found hanging from the ceiling fan at his room in Mahalaxmi Hotel, Paltan Bazar on May 5.
Police has termed it as a suicide case but many people suspect foul play in the incident, saying the possibility of murder cannot at all be ruled out. Thus, a period of less than five months has seen as many as eight murders, with the murderers yet to be brought to book and the police clueless. Something that is certainly not a pat on the back for the police.
Admitting that they are being given a tough time by the criminals and anti-socials, police, however, maintains that they are leaving no stones unturned to get to the bottom of all these crimes, “although some time may be needed to nab the culprits.”
“In a big city like Guwahati, putting a total check on crimes is next to impossible but it would be unfair to say that police has not played its parts. We have successfully solved many cases – murders as well as other crimes – over the years,” a source in the Police Department said. The constraints of the police are obvious, hindered as they are by manpower shortage and other infrastructural bottlenecks. For a big city like Guwahati with a population of around 16 lakh, the 400-odd police force falls short of the requirement.
The source went on to add that to successfully deal with crimes, cooperation from all quarters, especially the people, was a must. In many cases lack of awareness and concern on the part of the people is aggravating the situation, he said. Despite repeated appeals to the people from the police to have the antecedents of their servants and tenants checked with the nearest police station, they still do not seem to be keen to do it. These are small things but can go a long way towards checking and solving crimes and everybody should cooperate, he added.
Another headache for police in dealing with crime is the presence of a large floating population in the city. This segment, amounting to at least a couple of lakh, gives police a tough time as it is difficult to keep an eye on their movements.
Residents, however, have a mixed opinion on the performance of the police. While some feel it has totally failed others think they are doing not that bad considering the limitations they have. But everybody is unanimous on one aspect, that prevention of crime may be impossible but at least their perpetrators should be nabbed, otherwise, people will totally lose their faith in the keepers of the law.