Women activists hail Meghalaya Guv's removal

Hailing the removal of Governor V Shanmuganathan, women activists in Meghalaya today demanded that he be prosecuted for turning the Raj Bhavan into a "young ladies club" and "seriously compromising" the dignity of the gubernatorial office.
"We now need a speedy and decisive inquiry to be initiated which should lead to (his )prosecution," said Angela Rangad, convener of Thma u Rangli (TUR), a progressive people's group in the state.
"Now that he is not the Governor anymore, Article 361 is not operational, and we do not need prior sanction from the President (for his prosecution)," she said.
"It should not be that now that he has tendered his resignation and it is the end of it. Only this (prosecution) will send out the right message that nobody in any high office can get away with abusing their power," Rangad said.

President Pranab Mukherjee today accepted the resignation of Shanmuganathan as Governor of Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh after close to 100 staff members of Raj Bhavan accused him of "seriously compromising" the dignity of the gubernatorial office.
TUR and an all women's group, the Civil Society Women Organisation (CSWO), had spearheaded a signature campaign seeking Shanmuganathan's removal.

Earlier in the day, State Commission for Women chairperson Theilin Phanbuh said that an inquiry should be instituted to find out what had actually happened and all those involved in the controversy be punished.
Phanbuh said she had apprised the National Commission for Women of the incidents at the Raj Bhavan.

"What we did was to inform the concerned authority (of the allegations against the Governor)," Phanbuh said at the launch of a special cell for women and children at the Sadar Police Station here.
She said what the State Commission for Women did was "to apprise the National Commission for Women and highlight what was going on in the state".