Shillong, May 11: What do you do if the upholders of law are the ones flouting it? Crib, complain, protest?

Members of Civil Society Women’s Organisation, Shillong, decided to do things differently, even if it meant taking the law into their own hands.

Based on information received from their sources, members of the women’s organisation conducted surprise raids on a few hotels located in and around the city and caught “young girls entertaining different men”.

“Some hotels in Shillong are encouraging prostitution… During the raids, we caught these girls red-handed. Some of them are very young, probably in high school,” Irene Hujon, president of the organisation, said.

The organisation intends to take up the issue with the state government.

“We will approach the state government, especially the home department, and apprise them about what is happening,” Hujon said.

She was critical of the police department for not coming forward to help the women activists during the raids.

Hujon accused the police of actually preventing members of the organisation from doing something for the good of society.

“The officer-in-charge of the Sadar police station threatened to arrest us based on a complaint filed by a hotel owner. He told us later that he spared us at the behest of one of the hotel owners. Are the police under the command of the hotel owner? Why should the police take action based on what this hotel owner has to say? Is he a minister or something?” she asked.

Questioning the police’s attitude, another member of the Civil Society Women’s Organisation asked: “Is it to be construed that the police are encouraging prostitution?”