SHILLONG: Following a wave of protests erupting across the national capital over sexual violence against women and minor girls in the city, Shillong also saw a similar demonstration at Don Bosco Square in Laitumkhrah on Wednesday, called “Dressed to Protest”.
Speaking to Ukhrul Times, a protestor explained the title of the protest as a “rebellion against the question, ‘What was she wearing?’ We are the women of Meghalaya who are also voicing out our concerns that are happening in the State itself. We have enough awareness; it is just that the society needs a mirror.”
The protest in Shillong came amid protests in Delhi over several cases, including the gang rape of a 17-year-old girl by three men who posed as police personnel near Kalkaji Mandir in southeast Delhi on September 21; the sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl by a tailor who restrained, gagged and threatened her with scissors at his shop in North Delhi’s Sadar Bazaar; and the gang rape of a 17-year-old girl from Uttar Pradesh on a moving bus. The cases were among those cited by the Students’ Federation of India while calling for a march to the Delhi Secretariat on October 1.
The student organisation also cited at least 13 such incidents that were reported in September alone.
Raising placards such as “Girls Just Wanna Have Fundamental Rights,” “Smash The Patriarchy”, “It’s 2026 Criminalise Marital Rape,” and “We Shall Never Forget The Violence Against Women in Manipur,” the protestors in Shillong continued to chant slogans and take up more of the city’s space.
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Another issue that sparked protests was the alleged sexual harassment of three women journalists by Delhi Police personnel while covering protests at Jantar Mantar on October 3. The complaints were transferred to the Crime Branch for investigation without an FIR being registered.
One journalist specifically alleged that Assistant Commissioner of Police Vivek Bhagat groped her while she was recording the detention of a student leader, the Scroll reported. A protest was subsequently held in Hyderabad on October 4, demanding Bhagat’s arrest.
One of the three women journalists had camped overnight along with protestors outside the Parliament Street Police Station on Sunday, demanding action against the officer, but was later detained along with 16 others on Monday while the police also arrested a 24-year-old independent journalist over an allegedly fabricated video involving Bhagat. The police are also probing whether the incident was part of a larger conspiracy to provoke unrest during the protest.
As Delhi Police continue to describe the allegations as “baseless” and “misleading”, the Indian Women’s Press Corps, Press Club of India, Delhi Union of Journalists, Press Association and Kerala Union of Journalists have demanded the registration of a case against Bhagat, citing the law which holds that police are duty-bound to register an FIR immediately upon receiving a complaint.
Bringing the cause back to Meghalaya, another protestor told Ukhrul Times, “While we are a matrilineal society, that does not mean that we are not facing gender-based violence,” with a banner claiming that “1 in 6 Married Women in Meghalaya Faces Domestic Physical or Sexual Violence”.
“The government needs to make women’s safety a priority so that if the law is strict enough, then society will understand that it is not okay for such abuse to take place on a normal day. To think that something as heinous as rape happens once every eighteen minutes in India is a shame, that should not be something that we are desensitized to,” another protestor added.
Cases of violence against women have also continued to be reported in the state, including that of a man who was convicted on August 28, 2026, and sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexually assaulting his minor stepdaughter; and a law intern who, on July 28, alleged sexual harassment against a senior advocate, who was later expelled.
In July, a Mizo boy was also accused of sexually exploiting and assaulting multiple young college women, as well as raping a minor in Shillong. He later surrendered after absconding, and police said he would be produced before the court. A video of a woman being assaulted in public also went viral in June, leading to the arrest of an individual.
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The protestors said the demonstrations were not only about incidents reported elsewhere but also about confronting gender-based violence and victim-blaming within Meghalaya, calling for greater awareness and accountability in addressing violence against women.
