Justice Awaited

The brutal murder of a 22-year-old promising state Under-23 volleyball player from Kohima, has left Nagaland stunned and enraged. Her body, discovered stuffed inside a bag and hidden beneath a pile of firewood near a ring well not far from her own home on the morning of October 25, marks one of the most disturbing crimes to rock the state capital in recent memory. According to reports, the young athlete had told her friends she was heading out for a volleyball practice match on Friday afternoon. That was the last anyone heard from her. When she did not return home by evening, her family began contacting her friends in vain. Early the next day on Saturday, news came that a local resident made the grim discovery – a bag covered with firewood near the well. After the pile of firewood was removed, the bag was found to contain the body of the missing female. After being informed, Police arrived on the scene with a team of forensic personnel and began preliminary investigation. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Kohima Police is leading the probe. Initial postmortem reports indicate injury marks, but the exact cause of death remains undisclosed. Both the police and family have so far refrained from providing details. The shocking murder is not just another crime story but a chilling reflection of the vulnerability women face even in a community where everyone knows one another. The female athlete was not a faceless statistic. She was a sportsperson who had brought pride to her state. Her brutal end is a slap on the conscience of society and a grim reminder that there is no one safer today, in the moral decay and criminal boldness that plague many parts of the country. While speculation spreads- including claims that neighbours heard someone whistling in the dead of the night on Friday- what is most disturbing is dearth of information about the case. The fact that her body was found near a ring well below the victim’s house only opens up rumours and questions – was it someone known to her? Was it premeditated? Or was it an act of pure malice driven by darker motives? The people of Nagaland deserve clarity, and soon. Civil organizations, women’s groups, and student bodies have rightly voiced outrage and demanded a swift breakthrough in the investigation. Yet, demands alone are not enough. Authorities must act decisively with a sense of urgency and moral responsibility. The SIT must leave no stone unturned, no lead unexplored, and no suspect beyond scrutiny. Such crime deserves to reach its legal and conclusive end as delay will send a dangerous message – that even the most brutal violations can be buried under official caution and public fatigue. Justice delayed here would not only deny the victim her dignity in death but would also deepen the scars of a society already questioning their institutions. A young life full of promise has been snuffed out. The onus is now with the police to prove that the pursuit of justice will guide it to ensure that there is no place for perpetrators to hide to assure society its daughters are safe. Anything less would be unforgivable.