Monday, November 19, 2007

Nearly 50% of sexual assault in national capital happens to NE people

New Delhi, November 11, 2007: Nearly 50% of Sexual Assault in National Capital happens to North East Girls. North East India Communities Face Racial Discrimination in National Capital. But hundreds of unreported and very few reported stories of racial discrimination meted out to North East people living, studying and working in national capital and its surrounding cities have definitely caused great fears to North East India communities.


Racial discrimination in the form of rape, sexual assault, landlord harassment, non-payment of salaries by employers, and suspension from job without proper reasons are few to name. Since the birth of North East Support Centre & Helpline on October 20, 2007, almost every single day has been reported of discrimination to the people from north east India living in Delhi and NCR.


But hundreds of unreported and very few reported stories of racial discrimination meted out to North East people living, studying and working in national capital and its surrounding cities have definitely caused great fears to North East India communities.


Racial discrimination in the form of rape, sexual assault, landlord harassment, non-payment of salaries by employers, and suspension from job without proper reasons are few to name. Since the birth of North East Support Centre & Helpline on October 20, 2007, almost every single day has been reported of discrimination to the people from north east India living in Delhi and NCR.


What matters most is the mindset of the people toward different in appearance, culture, and social setup of North East India communities. The Greater fear is the snail space, negligent, delay and even denial of complaint by police duty officers in handling discrimination meted out to North East people. In many of the cases, police duty officers had to wait till the instruction by higher authorities or pressurize from other sources like media.


Looking at the recent 18 sexual assault and rape cases to NE girls and dozen other form of harassment to the people from North East India appeared in Media. Almost 50% of them happened to North East girls and women. Most of them traumatize without any body to help them.


Delhi is not safe place for girls and women even in broad daylight. Now the situation has worsened. The police are reluctant to work on it if it is to do with North East people. The culprit takes more courageous when police forces left them go free. The public watch as a mere spectator if we defend ourselves and judge us as outcaste and uncivilized.


“Such is the case when I broke a finger of a man in a crowded bus when he grope and try to squeeze my buttock. When I threatened to gouge his eyes out next time I was left with a comfortable space in that crowded bus by the public inside with a clear message that there is one insane, uncivilized, wild North East girl among the well mannered ladies and gentlemen. No one judges him but they make a point to recognize me as an outcaste” says a girl.


The mindset of the general public and particularly of police personnel need to change in the way how the cases are taken for the people of north east India.


The North East public leaders, Bureaus and political leaders need to be sensitized about the fact that North East boys and girls who have migrated to national capital in search of better education, employment and future carrier, are facing high amount of discrimination. The matter of discrimination meted out to North East people has to be notified to Delhi and Central Government to ensure safety measurement.


When every culture, tradition and races of vast and world’s largest democratic nation is regarded and protected then only the beauties of diversity in unity will be visible and the strength of Unity in Diversity will make sense.


Discrimination to North East People – On Record
Compiled by
Mr. Madhu Chandra & Lameyao Shimray
www.nehelpline.net


The recent unreported cases of discrimination meted out to North East India communities according to the sources reaching to North East Support Centre & Helpline, just few to mention:


On November 9, 2007 a girl from Manipur was beaten up by one of his own community fellow man at zero hour of the night. The man, who claimed to a Vice President of Student Union intruded her rented room in R. K. Puram, New Delhi while she along with her seven other friends was in deep sleep after celebrating her friend’s birthday. He slapped on her face two times and also abused her and her friends terming them to be bad character.


The matter was reported to the Student Union leaders of which the accused claimed to be Vice President and he made pardon of his misdeed according to the source reaching to NE Support Centre & Helpline.


One of the Helpline number of North East Support Centre was contacted to look into the matter as the victim wanted some disciplinary action should be taken on the man who has beaten her, otherwise she wanted to given complaint to police for the crime of intruding girls’ room in midnight and beating her.


NE Support Centre & Helpline was assured by the President of Student Union that appropriate action will be taken on man claimed to be the Vice President of the particular Student Union.


On November 8, 2007 police has arrested a group of young people from Manipur after clashes with a group of people in Delhi. According to the information reaching to NE Support Centre & Helpline, the local group lodged complaint against those boys from Manipur and police took them in custody immediately. The police who used to snail space, delay and even denial when complained by North East communities, were so fast to take the complaint and arrest the accused.


A case against the boys from Manipur was registered and produce before the magistrate and latter bailed out.


On November 7, 2007 a 30 years old man from Manipur was beaten up by a neighbor in R K Puram. A neighbor along with two of his friends intruded a house belonging to a Manipuri family and grabs the neck of the husband and tried to hit him with iron rode without reason being told.


Later reason was told that children belonging to the family from Manipur had quarrel with neighbor children.


With fear and trembling, the family from Manipur rang up to police helpline no. 100. Before the police helpline rushed to the spot, the neighbor and his friend brought two police from near by and taken the family from Manipur to local police station and forced him to sign a paper with a false statement that he and his brother threaten the neighbor and friends with a knife. It was filed before NE Support Centre & Helpline reaches the spot.


When the Police Helpline reached the spot, fabricated story was already filed in police station where both the party compromised.


Police was so fast in filing complaint against this family. What would have been the story if it happened to opposite party, only the time will tell!


On November 6, 2007 sexual assault to three and half year old girl from North East was reported to NE Support Centre & Helpline. The parents of the girl were suggested lodge complaint in police station and latter taken to hospital for medical examination.


The parents of the girl refused to register the case in fear of the facing disgrace that can cause by the medial examination to them and their little one. The accused went free without any punishment.


According to the sources reaching to NE Support Centre & Helpline, split of semen was found on the body of the girl.


On November 4, 2007 a Girl from Manipur was sexually assaulted by a resident of Sabdarjan Enclave in Daylight today.


According to the information reaching to NE Support Centre & Helpline, the girl was coming out of her rented house in Sabdarjan Enclave, New Delhi this evening, a man seems to be drunk came in front of her and assaulted her sexually in daylight.


Soon after the incident, the resident of the locality caught hold of the man and requested the victim forgive him and let go without reporting to police.


On October 21, 2007 a North East girl was sexually assaulted and beaten by man. Students from Manipur were forced to vacate rented house. Police delayed registering complaint.


Same night after “North East Support Centre & Helpline” was officially launched at Press Club of India, a tribal girl age of 21 years old from Manipur was sexually assaulted by a tenant at 12:30 AM on October 21, 2007. In spite of protecting the victim, the landlord forced victim’s cousin and other students from north east India living in the rented house to vacate the rooms without any notice.


Fact Finding Team of “North East Support Centre & Helpline” after hearing the news of the incident, rushed to the spot and gave immediate trauma counseling to the victim. An application was lodged in Vasant Kunj Police station to book the accused and landlord under SC/ST Atrocity Prevention Act (1995)


The incident happened when she along with her sister went to visit her cousin brother who lives in rented a room in Mahipalpur.


The Victim reports to North East Support Centre & Helpline, “When my cousin went to shared bathroom outside the room, I was waiting outside for her, a tenant claimed to be a police man started taking picture of me and molested me by pointing out to my private parts.”


When she screamed, her cousin brothers came out in rescue of her. They were abused by the man claimed to police in front to the residents by making assault remarks on them.


Next day, the landlord, instead of protecting the victim, forced three students from Manipur living in the rented rooms of the same building to vacate the house immediately without any prior notice. Students sought shelter in their friends living near by along with their belongings after they were pushed out by the landlord.


NE Support Centre & Helpline fact finding team gave trauma counseling to the victim and latter went to Vasant Kunj police station to lodge FIR. Police duty officer not only delayed but refused to take the complaint. After 22 hours, the police filed FIR when NDTV reporter when to police station to enquire why the complaint has been delayed. Soon after the arrival of NDTV, FIR was registered and accused was arrested under molestation and racial harassment charges. However police still refused to register the case under SC/ST Atrocity Prevention Act as the victim belong to ST community.


On October 12, 2007 a manager of a New Delhi Call Centre made sexual advances to two young women from North East India, and then stopped their salary and suspended them from work when they resisted his overtures.


NE Support Centre & Helpline’s initial investigations show, two women from Nagaland, aged about 23 were employed by A Call Centre, New Delhi on September 4, 2007.


The manager of Call Centre allegedly made sexual advances to one of them, repeatedly asking her to accompany him on many occasions.


The young woman refused. The manager then allegedly turned to her friend. She too refused to fall in the trap.


He allegedly retaliated by stopping the transport pick up service to bring them to office and dropping them to the house they had rented in Safdarjang from October 12, 2007 onward. The women were forced to find their transport home late at night.


Prior to NE Support Centre & Helpline was launched, the cases of discrimination have been an issue of concern as increase of atrocities was already alarming. Lemayao Shimray – Spokes Person of NE Support Centre & Helpline reports:


On September 16, 2007 four DU students, hailing from Manipur, have alleged that some unidentified men molested them on Saturday night while they were going to attend a freshers’ party at North Campus. The students alleged that the accused persons were appearing for recruitment of Delhi Police’s constable at Kingsway Camp.


Police said they have not received any complaint and denied knowledge of any such incident. However, the students, while speaking to Times of India said that they have approached Mukherjee Nagar police station but no action has been taken on their complaint.


The SHO and Police constable were suspended latter from the service for failing to perform their duty and FIR of molestation case was filed against the candidates for recruiting to the Delhi police who molested the girls. - TOI


On August 13, 2007 a 27 year old woman has alleged that she was molested by an auto rickshaw driver in Chirag Dilli on Monday night. A case of molestation and criminal intimidation has been registered after the woman, belonging to Manipur, complained that the incident had happened when she was returning from work.


According to police, the victim is a resident of Chirag Dilli and was returning around 9.30 pm to her house. “She took an auto rickshaw from her office in Safdarjung Enclave for Chirag Dilli. When the victim was close to her house, the driver stopped the auto on the pretext that the vehicle had developed some snag,” said a police officer.


The victim, in her complaint, said: “He went to the rear side of the auto and started repairing something. While I was sitting inside the three-wheeler, he suddenly grabbed me and put a cloth on my mouth.”


However, cops said, the victim managed to free herself from the clutches of the driver and raised an alarm. Some passersby and motorists stopped for help but by the time they came, the driver managed to flee from the spot.


The victim noted down the auto rickshaw number, which was later given to police.


She was later sent to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for medical examination.


The police said that the auto rickshaw number is not complete and the three-wheeler could not be identified.


“We are zeroing in on all the auto rickshaws with a similar series as given by the victim. It might be a fake number as well. We are trying to verify the same from the transport department,” the police officer added.


Meanwhile, the police have detained some drivers, plying on the route, for questioning.


The victim is a business executive with an MNC in Safdarjung Enclave and was staying with her family in Chirag Dilli, police said. – TOI.


In 2006, a girl from North East working in a Mall in Gurgoan was molested by a manager in work place. Police filed a case against the manager with molestation charges.


On December 12, 2005 a Manipuri woman in Gurgoan was almost dragged into truck at 6.30 pm. She manages to escape at the last minute. According to the police the woman was walking through main gate when a truck started following her. The driver offered a lift which she refused, but the truck continued to follow her as she walks into the colony of Sun City. After a while the truck driver and his cleaner started passing lewd remarks, forcing the woman to run into a narrow lane. Her pursuers got off from the vehicle and began chasing her and tried to drag her into the vehicle. The Manipuri women, however, manage to break free and run towards a nearby house. She rang the bell and sought refuge there. Said the investigating officer “neither the Sun City management nor the resident informed police and thus the investigation got delayed and the truck driver managed to flee and the guard could not chase them.”


On November 21, 2005 “Two youth arrested on Sunday for allegedly assaulting North East woman on Saturday night. They beat up her cousin brother after he tried to intervene,” reported TOI.


On November 18, 2005 “Two young men have been arrested on charges of harassing a North East girl,” reported The Hindu.


On November 17, 2005 a North East girl from Delhi University student was misbehaved by 20 years old youth when the girl had gone to the market accompanied by her brother and a friend that led to the protest from North East student.


On November 15, 2005 a Manipuri girl was molested by three youths in Nehru Vihar, Delhi. When the girl raise alarm, a crowd gathered but no one made any move to chastise the three men, who in turn raised voices and started threatening the victim before running away. The police were reluctant to file an FIR as the three youths were from the same locality which led to a mass protest by Manipur Student Association Delhi (MSAD).


On November 12, 2005 two women and a man from Nagaland were attacked by two young men in Delhi


On October 13, 2005 a FIR was filed by North East girl who stays in North Delhi hostel complaining against a person who physically assaulted and molested her while coming back from NSUD sports week.


On July 10, 2005 a girl from Manipur testified “I was returning from Dwarka after Church service. When I reach Chirag, Delhi I was eve teased by a man, when I ignored he said something in Hindi and caught my hand. Then when I tried to resist he slapped me thrice on my face. I started walking away crying but he came to me again , caught me on my breast and slapped me repeatedly saying that he resides in Chirag and it is his area. He threatened me with life and modesty if I complain.


On July 11, 2005 a 24 years old North East girl along with her friend, while coming back to her rented room was misbehaved and molested by a Taxi service owner at 3:30 PM. – HT.


On May 8, 2005 A Girl from the North East was raped in a moving car after being abducted from a roadside eatery in south Delhi’s busy Dhaula Kuan area.


Police said the accused bundled the victim into the steel-grey car at 2.15 a.m. Sunday and instructed the man at the wheel to drive around the city. Four men raped her by turns while the car moved through the city.


They changed cars on the way and dumped the girl two hours later near Nanakpura Gurdwara, close to the place from where they had abducted her. – IANS.

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