Northeast forum writes to PM, wants action

A forum of regional parties from the north-east wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday asking for measures to curb racist attacks on people from the north-east living in the national Capital. The plea followed the killing of Nido Tania, a boy from Arunachal Pradesh, in Delhi.

A forum of regional parties from the north-east wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday asking for measures to curb racist attacks on people from the north-east living in the national Capital. The plea followed the killing of Nido Taniam (also spelt as Tania), a boy from Arunachal Pradesh, in Delhi.

Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio, chairman of the 11-party North East Regional Parties’Front, reminded Singh of a memorandum submitted to him on November 30, last year. It sought an action plan to address ‘special issues’ such as ‘frequent racist attacks on the people of the north-east’ in New Delhi, NCR and adjoining areas.

“We submitted a similar memorandum to President Pranab Mukherji on January 21. We hope more lives will not be lost before the Delhi administration ensures safety of our people, particularly women,” Rio said.

Nido was the son of Arunachal Pradesh parliamentary secretary Nido Pabitra.

“With the pain we have in our hearts, this is not the time to react in anger. We have to keep alive our assertion that while we may have our differences in appearance and ethnicity, we must reconcile and respect each other’s diversities and each other’s aspirations,” said former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Jarbom Gamlin.

“Action should be taken against the perpetrators of this heinous crime,” Tako Dabi, MLA and advisor to Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Nabam Tuki, said. He slammed the Delhi Police for negligence leading to Nido’s death.

The North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) condemned the incident and asked why people from the region were always targeted. “The Prime Minister had assured us students from the north-east studying outside would be protected. Where is his assurance now?” NESO advisor Samujjal Bhattacharyya asked.

The Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) urged the Delhi Police to invoke the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 against the murderers.