Guwahati, April 18 -- The Meghalaya Pradesh Mahila Congress has called on Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma to implement a state-wide ban on pornographic websites, citing a sharp rise in sexual offences involving minors.

In a formal petition, party president Joplin Scott Shylla raised alarm over what she described as a deeply troubling increase in sexual violence against children. She attributed part of the problem to unrestricted access to explicit online content, which she believes is influencing vulnerable youth and contributing to incidents of abuse.

"This distressing pattern has deeply unsettled society," Shylla wrote in her appeal, adding that the situation demands immediate policy intervention to confront one of its driving forces....