Premises of Centre for NE Studies and Policy Research at Jamia

"Prejudice is unacceptable, in any form towards any group in any place. And you are aware that any racist or abusive comments targeting any group face strong punishment under law. We are deeply committed to this," HRD Minister M M Pallam Raju said after launching the new premises of the Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research at Jamia Millia Islamia university campus.

His comments came in the backdrop of several incidents, both outside and withing the academic campus, across the country where people of northeast have been targeted.

Vice chancellor of the varsity Najeeb Jung said, "We have created an atmosphere in the campus that is friendly to the northeast students."

Raju hoped the centre, the first for NE studies in any central university, will continue to be a "trailblazer" in the areas of research and connectivity -- connecting scholarship and academia to the field work and realities as well as to policy prescription and implementation.

He pointed that the centre is in the process of completing a major study on the challenges before women from northeast in four metros of the country -- of how relevant, poignant and critical such issues are to the people's understanding of the region and of each other.

Noting at the strategic importance of the northeast, Raju said, "It must be the pivot of the Look East Policy of the government and I hope that the NE centre here will help be the pivot of scholarship for the region around it as well as for the region within the region."