Northeast groups demand anti-racism law

Demanding a strong anti-racism law in India, NGOs and students unions from the northeastern region Monday blamed the central and Delhi governments for not looking into the discrimination faced by them.

"We strongly blame our central government, Delhi government, Delhi Police and all elected representatives from the northeastern states equally for not adequately looking into discrimination faced by people from those states in the national capital," said Bina Lakshmi Nepram, founder of the Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network.

She said that though political leaders often come out to sympathise with people from the northeast, nothing concrete is done when they face discrimination.

"Even Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, instead of taking strong action against the accused in the Nido Tania murder case, has put the onus on us and assured of investigating the matter which has not been done till now," she said.

According to data from the northeast helpline number in the capital, 86 percent of the people from the northeast in the national capital have faced discrimination.

Alana Golmei, founding member of the North East Support Centre and Helpline, said the central government should come up with an anti-racism law so that people from the northeast are insulated from the various types of harassment.

"One should understand that we are Indians and we have the same rights like people from other states," she said.

The anti-racism law will not just protect people from the northeast living in other states from discrimination but also people from other parts of the country living outside their states, she added.