Nepram labels attacks against north-eastern people as 'politically motivated'

Expressing shock over the increasing attacks on the north-eastern people around the country, writer-activist Binalakshmi Nepram on Thursday claimed that such attacks were 'politically motivated'.

"Even as I speak, I feel that these are politically motivated racial attacks and killings because the people in India generally everyone wants to live a life of peace. So, who is doing this? 700 cases of attacks this year alone in Delhi NCR," Nepram told ANI while reacting on the brutal murder of a PhD scholar hailing from Manipur in the national capital and another assault on a 25-year -old Manipuri youth in Bangalore.

"I don't know what to say at this moment, we are really shocked. The way the 33-year-old PhD scholar, who could have become a pride of this country, was almost brutally beheaded," she said.

"But the thing is we are tired of pressuring authorities and government. Because this year alone, more than 700 cases of complaints filed at 1093 Delhi helpline in which north-east people have said they have been abused, attacked, maligned, raped, murdered," she added.

Nepram also said the manner in which the people of north-east were stereotyped as being pro-China was completely incorrect.

"I have also found from my sources that there are people in political spheres who are equating the entire people of north-east as being pro-China. Hence, there has been a talk of cutting them into pieces and throwing them into (river) Ganga. We are very very saddened by this because we also consider ourselves as citizens of this country. This is not the India that we belonged to. This is not the India which is enshrined in the Constitution. We are not loyal to China, we are loyal to this country, we are part of this country," she said.

Nepram highlighted that people from the north-east are as much patriot like their counterparts from mainland India.

"And these attacks, those people who are spreading information in political leadership, may be from any political party must contain and stop spreading this misinformation that people of the north-east are anti-national," she said.

"So our appeal is those who have unleashed these attacks on the people of north-east whether it is in Bangalore or in Delhi, this is wrong, this is anti-national, and must stop immediately," she added.

According to reports, a 33-year-old PhD scholar from Manipur was found murdered at his residence in South Delhi's Kotla area. In a separate case in Bangalore, a 25-year-old Manipuri youth was allegedly attacked by three people in Bangalore.