SHILLONG: The discovery of seven-year-old Kyrshanbor Kharmudai’s lifeless body on a quiet roadside in Mawpat Lumrumnong has once again torn through the conscience of Shillong. For the second time in just two weeks, the city has been shaken by the brutal killing of a child — a horror no community should ever have to endure.
Is our city safe for children? Where have we fallen short as a society?
This is not just another police case. It is a collective failure — and perhaps most painfully, a reminder that the belief our children are safe playing outside the four walls of their homes is but a cruel illusion.
Kyrshanbor, an orphan, went missing on the afternoon of October 8 while playing in the compound of his home at Nongrah Lummyrboh. His aunt called him in for tea an hour later — but he never came. What followed was a night of frantic searching by his family and the local Dorbar Shnong, ending in unimaginable tragedy the next morning when his body was found dumped by the roadside in nearby Mawpat.
Who could do such a thing? Who would rob a child of his innocence?
Police, led by East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem, have classified the case as murder and dumping, suspecting the boy was killed elsewhere before being abandoned at the scene. While the investigation continues, the shock and fear across the city are palpable.
This tragedy comes barely weeks after the murder of four-year-old Insaphira Lyngdoh Mawnai in Nongrah — a haunting reminder that our neighbourhoods are no longer as safe as we imagine. Parents now hesitate to let their children play outside, even within the safety of their own courtyards or backyards.
It would be easy to call for more policing — and certainly, stronger surveillance is vital. But beneath this horror lies something deeper: the erosion of community vigilance. In the Khasi social structure, the Dorbar Shnong has long stood as the bedrock of safety and moral order. Yet, as these crimes show, even this tightly knit fabric is struggling to withstand the pressures of a changing world.
Following Insaphira’s murder, Nongrah Headman Denis Lynrah and other community leaders had called for immediate measures — the installation of CCTVs, better street lighting, and stricter supervision of children. Some steps were taken, yet tragedy struck again.
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So where do we go from here?
The answer cannot lie only in mourning or fear. It must come from renewed community commitment — not just by Dorbar leaders or police officers, but by every household.
Gone are the days when children could play freely without supervision. The SP’s appeal to parents to closely monitor their children is not just sound advice — it is an urgent necessity. The Dorbar Shnongs, with support from the government, must ensure that every main junction is equipped with CCTVs and every dark corner is well-lit. It is time we take these matters seriously — and stop assuming that “it won’t happen here.”
Shillong is no longer the quiet, untroubled hill town it once was. The death of Kyrshanbor Kharmudai is a wound that will leave a lasting scar. The least we can do is ensure that his short life becomes a turning point — one that forces us to protect every child as if they were our own.
Because when a community can no longer keep its children safe, it has lost far more than innocence — it has lost its moral compass.
