Sex on Church Premises Shuts Mizo church

Aizawl, Nov 26 : Deeming that sex on hallowed portals was ''desecration'', a church in Mizoram was shut down for a week after an unmarried couple was found making love on its porch.

The couple was caught having sex on the porch of the United Pentecostal Church (northeast India), located at Darnam locality in Serchhip, on the night of November 14 by Vanlalsanga, a church elder.

"The act of sex on the premises of the church was considered a blasphemy and the church was closed for a week. It was opened after a pastoral board meeting pardoned the couple,'' Vanlalsanga said on Thursday.

Most of the church denominations in the state regard pre-marital sex as a ''grievous sin''. Earlier, some churches have been dismantled due to ''desecration'' by couples making out and were opened again only after rebuilding and cleansing.

In the incident at the United Pentecostal Church, the meeting of the pastoral board decided not to dismantle the church as the act was performed on the porch.

The board also pardoned the couple for their ''profany in the name of God'' and the church was opened again for religious services.

26/11: No Force in Force One

Mumbai, Nov 26 : Mumbai's elite anti-terror squad, Force One, was formed just after 26/11 attacks in Mumbai.

Created along the lines of Israel's Mossad, the commando body is expected to guard the city like a fort and be ready 24 hours to repel any terror attack. But two years later, Force One is yet to gather force, with no home to stay and lack of funds.

The 99-acre plot announced as a Force One hub is still locked in a dispute with tribals who live there. So without enough space, Force One struggles to train its 300 hand-picked commandos.

But lack of space is just one of its handicaps.

In the last two years, Force One has had only three training sessions of 15 days each with its Israeli trainers. Reason, sources say, is lack of funds. Each session costs the state Rs. 10 lakh.

The commando body also faces a serious equipment crunch. Only ten per cent of the commandos have bullet-proof vests and helmets. Other essentials of terror-fighting, like blast-proof eyewear, goggles with rear view, stun grenades and digital radios, were promised but never arrived.

When US President Barack Obama visited Mumbai last month, the Mumbai Police didn't deploy its Force One. It instead asked the National Security Guards to help with security. This clearly is the most telling sign of Force One's lack of equipment.

Yet, Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil claims Mumbai is much better prepared today. ''We have made a lot of arrangements," he said recently.

The Force One story, however, may not be entirely true of the police force - Mumbai's first line of defence.

The state has ordered for it Rs. 36 crore worth arms and ammunition in the last two years. Yet, the bulk of the force is not firearm trained. And of the 43,000 cops, only 150 have bullet-proof jackets.

To guard the vulnerable coastline, the police flaunt a fleet of amphibian vehicles. Yet many of them cannot swim in high seas or use marine equipment.

Today, as the memorial parade showcases the might of Mumbai police, what goes unsaid is the story of an overworked, ill-trained and under-equipped force, forced to stand guard against mighty terror attacks.

Northeast Community in Delhi Quite Vulnerable

15 cases this year `tip of iceberg`

By Durgesh Nandan Jha

New Delhi, Nov 26 : The gangrape of a 30-year-old woman from Mizoram early Wednesday morning once again highlights the dangers that women from northeast face in the capital.

And despite repeated incidents of rape, molestation and racial discrimination, the police and the state administration have completely failed to curb such cases over the years.

Racial attack and crime against people from the community continues unabated in the city, says Madhu Chandra, spokesperson of the NGO Northeast Support Center.

"So far this year, more than 15 serious cases of molestation and abuse against people from the northeast have been reported. In 2009, 39 cases, including eight cases of molestation, one rape case and 20 cases of boys being beaten thrashed, were reported,'' he added.

Activists say that the number of cases reported to the police is just a tip of the iceberg. "In 2009, when a 19-year-old Naga girl was murdered by an IIT PhD scholar in Munirka, the police said they will start special helpline number for northeast people. But it never happened.

Patrolling services during night in areas populated by people from northeast Dhaula Kuan, Munirka, Mahipalpur, Kotla Mubarakpur, Gandhi Vihar and North Campus is still not up to the mark. Also, in the Delhi Police (Amendment) Bill 2010, there is no mention of any special measures to check crime against people from the northeast,'' Chandra said.

Jasmine Rupmini, a postgraduate student of Delhi University who belongs to Tripura, said that the police wakes up only when there is a rape or someone is killed in broad daylight. "But we face harassment and discrimination every moment, every day. Sometimes we reply but mostly we ignore,'' she said.

Boveio Poukai Dao, general secretary of the Naga Students' Association, said that the local police is not very supportive when it comes to registering complaint or acting against the accused. "We are told to behave in a certain manner or dress `responsibly'. Rather than acting against the offenders, police preach us and try to dissuade us from filing complaint,'' said Dao.

Another activist said that since the Centre has failed to provide job opportunities in northeastern states, people migrate to Delhi and face humiliation. "The private sector has also not invested in these states due to insurgency,'' Dao said.

Rice Shortage in Mizoram

Aizawl, Nov 26 : Shortage of rice, the staple food of Mizos, has affected the common people of Mizoram and also hampered the process of repatriation of Bru refugees from six relief camps in neighbouring Tripura.

General Secretary of the Bru Coordination Committee (BCC) Elvis Chorkhy today said the state officials found it difficult to provide free ration to the repatriated refugees due to shortage in rice stock in government godowns.

“We were told by the officials that the repatriation process would not be resumed now due to shortage of rice,” Chorkhy said, adding that they apprehended that if the repatriation resumed now, they would face scarcity of food.

Since the first phase of repatriation began on November three, 101 Bru families have returned to Mizoram and were re-settled in Mamit district, on Mizoram-Tripura border.

They were provided with free ration of around 600 grams a day for each adult and 300 grams for each minor.

Scarcity of rice also plagued the whole state, which was attributed to transportation problems faced in Assam and Mizoram by the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs department.

“Though the situation is not that alarming to the extent of facing famine, we have to distribute whatever stock we have,” one official said.

Northeast India Girls Battle Racial Slurs, Feel Like Aliens

By Ambika Pandit

New Delhi, Nov 26 : Reena, a Delhi University student from the northeast, was on a cyclerickshaw when four bikers brushed past, feeling up her thighs and snatching away Rs 15,000 that she was carrying.

And after all the fight she put up she was literally dragged by the bikers for some distance she reached the police station only to see the constables smirk at her. They simply asked her to give a written complaint and leave.

This was one of the many similar incidents shared during a group discussion organized by NGO Jagori as part of its `safe cities' programme.

The vulnerability of women from the northeast and the sexual harassment faced by them in Delhi has been catalogued in the international four-city study labelled "Learning from Women to Create Gender Inclusive Cities'', which was presented at the three-day international conference on safe cities for women in the capital that concluded on Wednesday.

The study takes into account the vulnerability of women working in call centres in Delhi.

The Delhi chapter of the study has a section, `Place of origin', highlighting that students and young women from the northeast states reported facing particular forms of discrimination. Young women reported being called names such as "chinki'', "momos'', "thukpas'' and "noodles''.

"The findings are an outcome of a focussed group discussion carried out as part of the study to understand the concerns of women from the northeast states of the country who come to Delhi to study or work,'' pointed Kalpana Viswanath from Jagori.

The discussants comprised six young women, aged between 19 and 22, from Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Manipur, who are studying at DU. They stay in private hostels or PG accommodations mainly along with other men and women from their states.

The study points that since they have different racial features from north Indians, they are subjected to humiliation, molestation and sexual violence.

Everyone in the group agreed that Delhi is unsafe for women, particularly those from the northeastern states. "People perceive us as different. They have preconceived notions about women from the northeast and brand them as `untraditional, easy, and available for sexual favours','' said one of the participants.

"When I wear salwar kameez people stare. If I wear shorts they say `she is ill mannered'. No matter what we wear people always comment,'' Tina from Manipur said.

The Delhi chapter also looks at safety of women working in BPOs. A focus group of nine female employees aged 23-28 years working at a BPO at different times of the day were interviewed. They said they feel secure wearing I-cards so that they're not misunderstood if they are out waiting for their cabs at night.

Significantly, crowded places seem to be as unsafe as deserted places. One of the participants shared how she was teased while waiting for her 11pm cab in a market.

Another employee revealed that her cab with only female passengers on board was followed and asked to pull over by strangers who banged on the windows. This, too, occurred in a marketplace and not a secluded spot.

Names of participants have been changed.

Assam Traders Say No To Donations

Guwahati, Nov 26 : Trade and industry bodies in Assam today came out strongly against the demand for donations by various organisations and said this would send a wrong signal to prospective investors in the state.

The Assam Chamber of Commerce even said only dishonest traders were giving donations to students and other organisations to hide the dirty side of their business and asked the “honest” businessmen not to succumb to such demands.

“Business is a cut-throat competition in the current environment and there are still many honest businessmen. I do not see any reason to demand donations from the businessmen who are earning money by adopting honest means. If earning money is the only reason for giving donations, then the salaried class would also have to do the same. As a businessman I have never given any donation to any organisation,” the state convenor of the chamber, Rupam Goswami, told The Telegraph.

Asked to comment on the ongoing conflict between the AASU and Vishal Mega Mart, Goswami said the management of the business outlet should have protested at a time when the AASU had demanded donations. He said it seems that the Vishal’s management tried to politicise the issue, which was unfortunate.

Mahavir Jain, president of the Kamrup Chamber of Commerce, said forceful donations were illegal and anyone resorting to such practice must be brought to book. He, however, said businessmen donate a portion of their profits to different organisations for social causes.

“I don’t want to comment on donations by making the conflict between AASU and Vishal Mega Mart a case study. I am worried that if the business community is harassed or intimidated in the name of donations, it will send a very wrong signal about the present state of affairs of Assam to outsiders,” Jain said.

The business community in Jorhat did not want to comment on the issue.

“Please don’t drag us into this. But what is happening is very unfortunate,” an office-bearer of the Upper Assam Chamber of Commerce said on condition of anonymity.

Bikash Gogoi, convenor of the Dibrugarh district unit of Assam Chamber of Commerce, said donations demanded by various organisations hadbecome a nuisance for the business community in the state and it would affect the economic growth of Assam.

At a time when Assam is faced with the burning unemployment problem, it couldn’t afford to tolerate hooliganism in the name of donations for “social causes”, he added.

Via The Telegraph

Mohun Bagan to Help Soccer Development in Northeast India

Kolkata, Nov 26 : City soccer giants Mohun Bagan Thursday joined hands with Assam Football Association (AFA) in a first of its kind venture in Indian sports to help in the overall development of the game in the north eastern state.

As per the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed Thursday, Mohun Bagan would help Assam Football Association in various administrative and technical aspects of the game.

‘The club will also send its technical experts to AFA from time to time to guide the association in the coaching camps for the Assam state teams. The club will also send its administration and management Experts to AFA to conduct workshops, seminars and courses,’ said Mohun Bagan general secretary Anjan Mitra, one of the signatories of the deal.

‘Mohun Bagan will train talented footballers of Assam in the club’s soccer academies,’ he added.

AFA, on its part, will help the club in recruiting talented footballers of the northeastern states for its academy and team,’ said AFA secretary Ankur Dutta, who also signed the MOU.

Mohun Bagan also agreed to arrange friendly matches during exposure trips of the Assam sides in Kolkata with their club team. In return, the club would also send its different age-group teams to Assam for exposure trips and tournaments, Dutta told media persons here.

More Delhi Cops in Areas Where Northeast Girls Live

New Delhi, Nov 25 : Expressing shock and dismay at the abduction and rape of a Mizoram girl in the capital, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Krishna Tirath today sought more PCR vans and extra police posts in areas where women from the Northeast India live in large numbers.

Tirath said that she would take up the issue with the Home Ministry.

"I am very much concerned about these incidents happening to the girls from Northeast India.

I had already taken up this issue and I am going to reiterate this issue with the Home Ministry that they should have extra kiosks and PCR vans in all police stations in areas where there is a concentration of girls from Northeast India," she told reporters here.

She said that there was a need to ensure safe working conditions for women. "I am also asking the police to hold gender sensitisation workshops in every police station so that police personnel at all levels are adequately sensitised to these problems".

"Our Ministry is shortly going to inaugurate a working women's hostel in Jasola for the girls from North-East," the Minister added.

The 30-year-old victim was walking towards her home in Moti Village in south Delhi early yesterday morning along with one of her colleagues when four men in a vehicle abducted her and took turns to rape her.

This is the latest in several incidents of sexual assaults in the city where girls from the North-East were at the receiving end.