Concern over racial profiling, attacks in capital
In a statement issued here, the director of the Centre, Madhu Chandra, said the organisation had today submitted a memorandum to Delhi commissioner B.K. Gupta, seeking his help.
The organisation was formed in New Delhi four years ago by concerned groups to assist youths from the Northeast who were in distress or in danger of physical and psychological harm.
“We are writing to you in deep distress about the plight of women, especially those from the northeastern states, living and working in the national capital. Thousands of educated girls from Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura, who come to work in the call centres and IT sectors in Delhi and other parts of the city, are facing racial discrimination and sexual assault,” Chandra said in the memorandum.
According to him, boys and girls from the Northeast live in small groups and are often alone, thereby becoming soft targets for harassment at their residences and workplaces.
“We appreciate your reassurance expressed during the North East Conclave, held on November 13, to look into the problems faced by people from the Northeast in Delhi,” Chandra said.
He said the racial attacks and sexual assaults on the region’s communities and women continued unabated in parts of Delhi and Safdarjung Enclave had become a favourite with the habitual offenders.
Chandra pointed out that a boy and girl from Manipur were looted and beaten up last night while they were returning home after withdrawing money from an ATM in Delhi’s Safdarjung Enclave.
The organisation has demanded that a special helpline for Northeast communities should be set up immediately, which may be headed by an official not below the rank of deputy commissioner of police and preferably from the Northeast region.
The organisation also urged Delhi police to initiate special night patrolling in all the vulnerable areas, including Safdarjung Enclave, Munirka, Mahipalpur, Nanakpur, Motibagh, Mohamadpur, Khanpur, Sarojini Nagar, New Friends Colony, Defence Colony in South Delhi, North Delhi Campus, Nehru Vihar, Gandhi Vihar in North Delhi and Sikanderpur in Gurgaon.
“Special night patrolling in these areas will not only prevent racial or gender-based violence faced by people from the northeastern region, but also ensure safety for all the working women returning late at night from workplaces,” Chandra said.
The organisation also wanted the policemen to register cases when victims approached the police stations.
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