Arunachal student's body flown home for last rites, community protests in Bangalore

Body of northeastern student, who died after he was allegedly beaten up by shopkeepers at a busy market in New Delhi, reached his hometown, while the community mourned his death staging anti-racial protest on Sunday.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Kiren Rijiju, condemned the incident and said if such incidents were repeated it would have a very bad impact on the country's unity.

"This is a big wound on the unity of this country. The current atmosphere in Arunachal Pradesh makes me feel that if ever this incident is repeated then it will be very wrong for this country," said Rijiju in New Delhi on Sunday.

Meanwhile on Sunday hundreds of students of northeast origin participated in a protest to demand justice for the teenage student in Bangalore.

The protesters waved placards condemning the alleged racial attack and demand justice for Taniam.

"We should not even treat the foreigners coming to our country like this. We are not animals. If you are commenting on the colour of the skin of the person, they may be black or white, but then colour of the every person's blood is red. We people from the northeast are a part of India and if you continue opposing us everywhere we go calling us foreigners, or having Chinky eyes or they are wearing these kinds of clothes as everyone's lifestyle is different and it doesn't matter what dress I wear or you wear," said a protester.

Nido Taniam, a student from northeast state of Arunachal Pradesh, was allegedly beaten to death at Lajpat Nagar in south Delhi on January 29 as he got into a brawl, reacting to a verbal racial slur and taunts on his hair colour, with local shopkeepers.

Body of the teenager was received by his relatives and other public leaders at Tamen in Lower Subansiri district.