Home Ministry to send advisories to states on racial attacks

The ministry said it will be very very strict with regard to any action committed by a person which is racially motivated

Union Home Ministry will be issuing advisory to state governments on mechanisms to deal stringently with any racially motivated incident, Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said today.

"Racial discrimination should not exist in India, and for that we are going to issue certain advisories to various state governments that there must be stringent provision in the law and mechanism to deal with any incident which is racially motivated," Rijiju said.

Speaking at North-East Conclave organised by the Karnataka BJP North-East Samparka (communication) Cell, he said "we are working on that... We will be very very strict with regard to any action committed by a person which is racially motivated. We are very clear about that."

Stressing on the need for awareness within and outside the community, he said "It is not that Nort-Eastern people are only discriminated. There are cases of south Indians- they feel they are discriminated in North India, and there are other people who feel they are discriminated in North-East India ..."

"It's a challenge, we must be able to quell and finish any act of discrimination on the basis of race," he said during his interaction with the North-Eastern community here.

His comments come in the backdrop of recent attacks on some persons from North-East community in Bangalore and Haryana.

Speaking to reporters later, he said as a nodal ministry, Ministry of Home Affairs would be issuing certain advisories to the state governments where these kinds of problems faced by North-East people can be dealt more sensitively."

"... Because when you talk about something that is racial in nature it becomes different connotation... It becomes sensitive and back home (North-East) the message becomes very negative. It is not good for the nation", he said.