SHILLONG, FEB 21: The North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) has demanded enactment of a stringent law against racial discrimination like Anti-Racism Act, inclusion of the North East – its geographical location, its people, its culture, its ethos etc. – in the syllabus of schools under all state boards and central boards including the CBSE besides capital punishment to perpetrators of crimes in the memorandum submitted by it to union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Thursday.
Led by its chairman Samuel Jyrwa, the NESO leaders submitted a six point charter of demands to Shinde on Friday in his office in Delhi demanding various measures for stopping the racial attacks on people of north east origin in Delhi.
The NESO demands have come in the wake of the killing of the 17 years old Arunachal Pradesh student Nido Taniam in Delhi. The unlucky teenage student was beaten to death by some Delhi shopkeepers on January 29 after he protested to their insult over the colour of his hair. The killing has once again raise the issue of the frequent harassment and sometime killings of the people of the north east region in the country’s capital.
NESO leaders comprising of the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), Twipra Students’ Federation (TSF), All Manipur Students’ Union (AMSU), Garo Students’ Union (GSU) and All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) submitted the memorandum to Shinde with the hope that he will be proactive in stopping the racial attack on north east people in Delhi.
Draw Shinde’s attention to death of Taniam, the NESO said that incidents of assaults, molestations are happening on a frequent basis resulting in a feeling of insecurity, especially of the women folk, amplified by the assault on two women belonging to the Thangkhul Naga community, rape of one minor girl from Manipur at Munirka on February 8, 2014 followed by the physical assault of two Manipur boys on February 10.
NESO pointed out that all these incidents happened just a few days after the murder of Taniam.
Although such incidents have been vehemently denounced by the government at different levels, NESO , however, rued that the north east communities continue to suffer shock and panic as unabated attack and assault continues against the communities.
NESO also reminded that despite the assurance given by Prime Minister office on 15th November, 2009 that the PM has directed the concerned authorities to take stern action against those who engage in the racial attacks on the NE people and to take special measures for the physical security of the North East students, crimes against the students from north east states continues.
NESO wanted Shinde’s urgent intervention and so that effective measures can be taken by the appropriate authorities which could give mental, social and physical security to the students and people of the North Eastern region studying and residing in Delhi and other parts of India.
NESO memorandum consisted of the following demands:
(1) Capital punishment to perpetrators of the heinous crime at the earliest.
(2) Stringent action against the police personnel for failure to register case.
(3) Inclusion of the North East – its geographical location, its people, its culture, its ethos etc. – in the syllabus of schools under all State Boards and Central Boards including the CBSE.
(4) At least one Special Police Station should be established for dealing with cases related to racial discrimination and atrocities on NE s people, with a provision that it is manned by police officers from NE states.
(5) Out of thousands of police personnel recruited from Delhi Police, the Govt. of India should make one time recruitment policy for at least 5000 Delhi police personnel in the respective capitals of 8 NE states.
(6) Enactment of a stringent law against racial discrimination as Anti-Racism Act. – By Our Reporter
Anti-Racism Act should be a persistent demand, a top demand…it’s the duty of the Northeast legislators to stand up in one voice to demand from the government a committee headed by retired supreme court judges and law experts from the northeast land as well, to draft the Anti-Racism bill