Another North-Eastern Youth Goes Missing in the Capital
06th October 2017
INDIA: Another North-Eastern Youth Goes Missing in the Capital
ISSUES: Police apathy, Unexplained Disappearances, Lack of Security
Dear Friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has taken note of reports
about the disappearance of a young man from Manipur in New Delhi.
There have been many instances of youth from the northeast going
missing in the National Capital Region (NCR), which is significant in
light of the numerous reports of violence and racism in the area
against such persons.
Case Narrative:
The AHRC has received information from the Youth Forum for the
Protection of Human Rights (YFPHR) about the disappearance of Taorem
Bitoo Singh, a 32-year-old man from Manipur, who has been reported
missing since 13 September 2017. Bitoo had come to New Delhi on 27
August to take care of his ailing mother, and was staying in the
Kishangarh Vasant Kunj area with his elder brother.
On 13 September, at around 4.45 p.m., Bitoo left his brother’s home
to take a walk in Masli Park, as per his usual routine. By around 8
p.m., his family began to panic as he still had not returned, and so
his elder brother and some friends searched for him in the surrounding
areas and in Masli Park.
As they were unable to locate him, they then
visited the Vasant Kunj North Police Station and filed a missing
persons complaint. On 16 September, Bitoo’s photo was circulated
around some parts of New Delhi, and announcements relating to his
disappearance were made via loudspeaker. His brother was then informed
that he had been seen around the area of B1 Basantpur, which he
subsequently relayed to the police. However, as of the date of
publication of this Urgent Appeal, Bitoo’s location has not been
traced.
Background:
The AHRC had earlier reported on the disappearance of another man,
Chanam Pravish, from Manipur
Prior to this, the death of Nido Tania, a young man from Arunachal
Pradesh, had captured headlines for the brutal manner of his death and
for the racially-tinged aspect of the violence against him. The
Bezbaruah Committee was then constituted, to address the matter of
racial violence and hatred towards north-eastern persons in metros.
The Committee submitted its report to the Ministry of Home Affairs in
2014, and made several recommendations. These included the inclusion
of a specific provision within the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for hate
crimes, and the appointment of a Special Prosecutor and creation of
Fast-Track Courts and Special Police Squads to deal with such
offences. The Committee further recommended that campaigns are
undertaken in schools and on social media to raise awareness about
racial violence and to dispel negative stereotypes about north-eastern
people.
Additional Information:
In Karma Dorjee v. Union of India [Civil Writ Petition 103 of 2014],
the Supreme Court had issued a slew of orders, which included the
setting up of a three-person panel to address the growing issue of
racial violence and hate crimes against north-eastern people in the
capital, which would also oversee the implementation of the Bezbaruah
Report. It also accepted most other recommendations by the Bezbaruah
Committee, although it did not comment on the inclusion of a specific
hate-crime provision in the IPC. The Court also relied on the
obligations of the Indian State according to the Convention for the
Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in observing that there
was a duty to ensure that the rights guaranteed to all citizens under
Part III of the Constitution, were freely available to members of
oppressed communities, including persons from the north-east.
Suggested Action:
Please write letters to the relevant authorities, requesting them to
take the matter seriously and to address the issues laid out in this
Urgent Appeal.
To support this case, please click here:
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear Sir/Ma’am,
INDIA: Another North-Eastern Youth Goes Missing in the Capital
Name of Victim: Taorem Bitoo Singh, aged about 32 years.
Name of Alleged Perpetrators: Unknown
Place of Incident: New Delhi
I am writing to you on the basis of information received from the
Youth Forum for the Protection of Human Rights (YFPHR) about the
disappearance of Taorem Bitoo Singh, a 32-year-old man from Manipur,
who has been reported missing since 13 September 2017. Bitoo had come
to New Delhi on 27 August to take care of his ailing mother, and was
staying in the Kishangarh Vasant Kunj area with his elder brother.
On 13 September, at around 4.45 p.m., Bitoo left his brother’s home
to take a walk in Masli Park, as per his usual routine. By around 8
p.m., his family began to panic as he still had not returned, and so
his elder brother and some friends searched for him in the surrounding
area and Masli Park. As they were unable to locate him, they then
visited the Vasant Kunj North Police Station and filed a missing
persons complaint. On 16 September, Bitoo’s photo was circulated
around some parts of New Delhi, and announcements relating to his
disappearance were made via loudspeaker. His brother was then informed
that he had been seen around the area of B1 Basantpur, which he
subsequently relayed to the police. However, as of the date of
publication of this Urgent Appeal, Bitoo’s location has not been
traced.
There have been many instances of youth from the northeast going
missing in the National Capital Region, which is significant in light
of the numerous reports of violence and racism in the area against
such persons. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) had earlier
reported on the disappearance of another man from Manipur, Chanam
Pravish, in the capital, who was later found to be dead from
suspicious causes and was cremated by the police without permission of
his family.
Prior to this, the death of Nido Tania, a young man from Arunachal
Pradesh, had captured headlines for the brutal manner of his death and
for the racially-tinged aspect of the violence against him. The
Bezbaruah Committee was then constituted, to address the matter of
racial violence and hatred towards north-eastern persons in metros.
The Committee submitted its report to the Ministry of Home Affairs in
2014, and made several recommendations. These included the inclusion
of a specific provision within the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for hate
crimes, and the appointment of a Special Prosecutor and creation of
Fast-Track Courts and Special Police Squads to deal with such
offences. The Committee further recommended that campaigns are
undertaken in schools and on social media to raise awareness about
racial violence and to dispel negative stereotypes about north-eastern
people.
In Karma Dorjee v. Union of India [Civil Writ Petition 103 of 2014],
the Supreme Court had issued a slew of orders, which included the
setting up of a three-person panel to address the growing issue of
racial violence and hate crimes against north-eastern people in the
capital. It also accepted most recommendations by the Bezbaruah
Committee, although it did not comment on the inclusion of a specific
hate-crime provision in the IPC. The Court also relied on the
obligations of the Indian State according to the Convention for the
Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in observing that there
was a duty to ensure that the rights guaranteed to all citizens under
Part III of the Constitution, were freely available to members of
oppressed communities, including persons from the north-east.
In light of the issues above, it is essential that you ensure that a
proper field investigation is conducted, and that Bitoo’s
whereabouts are traced at the earliest. Ensure that the police
regularly update both the relevant authorities and Bitoo’s family
members as to the progress of the investigation. The recommendation s
of the Bezbaruah Committee and the Supreme Court’s directions in
Karma Dorjee must be immediately and efficiently implemented. On a
broader note, security measures should be taken to especially ensure
the safety of north-eastern persons in the NCT region, due to the
recent spate of disappearances and deaths reported.
Yours sincerely,
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Justice H.L. Dattu, Chairperson
National Human Rights Commission
Manav Adhikar Bhawan,
Block-C, GPO Complex, INA,
New Delhi –110 023.
E-mail: [email protected]
2. Arvind Kejriwal
Chief Minister of New Delhi
3rd level, Delhi Secretariat,
I.P. Estate, New Delhi –110002.
Telephone: +9111 3392020/30
E-mail: [email protected]
3. B.S. Bassi,
Commissioner of Police, Delhi,
Police Headquarters,
I.P. Estate, ITO,
New Delhi-110002
Telephone:+9111 23490201
E-mail: [email protected]
4. Shri. Thawar Chand Gehlot
Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment
201, C-Wing
Shastri Bhawan,
Dr. Rajendra Prasad Road,
New Delhi - 110001 (India)
Telephone : 011-23381001
Fax: 011-23012175
Email: [email protected]
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission ([email protected]
* This Press Release was sent to e-pao.net by Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) who can be contacted at ua(AT)ahrc(DOT)asia
This Press Release was posted on October 07 2017
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