Northeast Men Too Find Delhi Unsafe

By Hamari Jamatia

At a support event for the Dhaula Kuan rape victim.

New Delhi, Mar 8 : New research shows more men complain of discrimination than women

As many as 78 per cent people from the North-East states living in Delhi have said they face racial discrimination in the Capital.

The figure was revealed through a new study on North-East migrants in Delhi. The North East Support Centre and Helpline undertook the research after a Mizo woman was gangraped in Dhaula Kuan recently.

While the figure is lower than that revealed in the study conducted in 2009, which stated that 86 per cent of the North-East population in Delhi undergo harassment, the new study seems more alarming as men too have reported racial discrimination. In fact, according to the research, 83 per cent of the male respondents reported discrimination, as against 74 per cent of women .

The research further states that between 2005 and 2011, the NE Helpline recorded 96 crimes against its people in Delhi and NCR — 58 per cent against women (including 34 per cent molestation cases, 4 per cent rape cases and 2 per cent attempt to rape cases), 26 per cent against men, 5 per cent murder cases, 6 per cent cases of non-payment of salary , 3 per cent cases of non-refund of rent deposit, 1 per cent missing person complaints and 1 per cent media bias complaints.

The research, titled ‘NE India: Migration and Challenges faced in National Capital Cities’, will be released on Tuesday on International Women’s Day. Madhu Chandra, spokesperson of NE Helpline who headed the research, said migration is a serious issue and the push factors are lack of education and job facilities in the North-East states.

The report accuses police of inaction, stating action was taken against only 11 of the 96 cases. “Registering cases was difficult, as most of the cases were refused, delayed and denied by the police officers on duty. This adds on top of the racial discrimination from general public,” stated the report.

“There are 2.7 lakh children from NE states studying in Delhi and other metros. They get their money from their families who reside in the North-East states. So, a lot of money is being channeled to pay for their expenses in the city,” Chandra said.