Shillong, June 18: It’s been nearly two years since Meghalaya has implemented the new criminal laws that replaced the 150-year-old colonial-era laws, Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Home (Police) Prestone Tynsong said on Thursday while stressing that public compliance should be driven by awareness, not fear.
In his address at the Nyaya Sanhita Exhibition, he said, “The exhibition lets students and participants see how the new laws are being implemented and translated into practice. I visited a few stalls and found them very insightful. Our young participants will benefit not just from theory, but from these practical demonstrations,” he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister highlighted the “3Ts — Timeline, Technology, and Trust” as the foundation of the new laws and urged attendees to take the message back to their communities.
Calling behavioural change the real challenge, he shared a personal anecdote: “When I was a student like you, I was afraid of the police. I wore a helmet not for safety, but to avoid fines. We must change this mindset. SOPs and regulations must begin with me and spread to our families. We abide by laws not because the government imposes them, but for our own good.”
He appealed to rangbah shnong and citizens to reject the idea that “this is not my government.”
“The government is you and me. We create these regulations for our collective well-being,” he said.
Tynsong also announced recent reforms and said 12 mobile forensic vehicles deployed across all districts for faster evidence collection, steps to shorten charge-sheeting under the new laws, and a new Directorate of Prosecution under the Law Department to clear long-pending cases.
“I am confident this programme will yield meaningful and lasting results,” he added.
In her speech, Director General of Police Idashisha Nongrang said new criminal laws were necessary as “the nature of crimes have changed and the challenges that come on each of the criminal justice have also changed.”
She said the event was aimed at correcting misconceptions. “This exhibition is to bridge the gap in public perception of what new criminal laws are all about. This is something that will take some time,” Nongrang stated.
She added that Meghalaya has set up an integrated system under the new laws to streamline the process.
The exhibition is part of ongoing outreach to explain the implementation of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Sakshya Adhiniyam in the state since July 1, 2024.
