Guwahati: Journalist Patricia Mukhim, editor of Shillong Times, Thursday said she would continue to write against the Church and it’s “wrongdoings” despite being called the “evil witch” for publishing articles criticising the Church “for its conspiratorial silence on issues affecting the state and its people”.
“One is in a free country and has every right to critique every institution. There are so many wrongdoings in the church, including sexual offences. Where will the church hide?” Mukhim told ThePrint.
Last Monday, Mukhim shared on Facebook a poster of ‘Jezebel — The Evil Witch’, in which she was depicted as Jezebel, a biblical figure synonymous with evil. The poster had a tagline — “Starring Patricia Mukhim”.
Mukhim mentioned in her post that the poster “has been circulating around and brought to her attention”.
Across centuries, Jezebel, the 9th century BC Pagan queen of Israel, had been epitomised as the wicked woman. In modern usage, the name of Jezebel is sometimes used as a synonym for sexually promiscuous or controlling women, which Mukhim highlighted in her Facebook post.
“So if you point out all these deficiencies you become a prostitute like Jezebel… Whoever has done this must be a strong votary of church politics and it’s insidious functioning (sic),” Mukhim wrote.
Referring to the high-profile Mawkhar Presbyterian Church scam that came to the fore in August 2019, Mukhim said, “The church has no appetite for any kind of criticism — Rs 4.67 crore was missing from the particular church in Mawkhar, and till date, they haven’t done an internal inquiry, which they should have done in the first place before going to the police.”
The Church Executive Committee had filed an FIR over the missing money of Rs 3.26 crore with Lumdiengjri Police in November 2019, but social media reports stated that the amount was nearly Rs 4.67 crore. Shillong Police had earlier said it could be almost Rs 5 crore.
Shillong Times recently published a ‘special article’ slamming the church.
Titled ‘Calling the church out’ published on 9 February, the author wrote in the article, “It is disappointing that while the farmers’ cry for justice and when freedom and liberty are at risk the Church is in hibernation.”
Also read: Supreme Court stays order convicting Shillong Times editor and publisher
‘Pointless to lodge an FIR’
Mukhim, a Padma Shri awardee, said she has been targeted several times and it does not affect her anymore. For this particular case, no complaint has been lodged.
“It’s pointless to lodge an FIR, I have filed so many in the past, nothing has happened. I had also filed an FIR when I got a death threat. Going to the police is like finding oneself in a helpless situation. The law and order system has completely collapsed,” she added.
Mukhim had in the past spurred criticism for her social media posts.
In November last year, she approached the Supreme Court challenging a Meghalaya High Court order that refused to quash a police complaint against her for a Facebook post she wrote in July in which she was accused of inciting communal tensions between tribal and non-tribal communities, and defaming the ‘Dorbar Shnong’, the traditional village institution of the Khasis.
Also read: Oldest NE daily The Shillong Times asked to shut office for ‘violating Covid protocols’