Zero-Tolerance Policy
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: March 11, 2013 -

Robin Hibu being interviewed at the 'Training on security for North East citizens' by Delhi Police on 07 March 2013

In a welcome move, Delhi police have started initiating some steps to improve the security of people from Northeast in the national capital region (NCR).

It is obvious that Delhi Police have become wiser after the 2007 debacle over its controversial booklet, "Security Tips for Northeast Students/Visitors in Delhi', which sparked an outrage among the people of the region, who felt that dictating food habits and dress code of the people was nothing short of social profiling and cultural imposition.

The booklet advised girls from Northeast to avoid wearing any 'revealing dress' and had also suggestions about cooking 'smelly' food items like bamboo shoot, Akhuni without creating 'ruckus' in neighbourhood.

But after six years, at least some concrete measures seem to have been taken up.

The latest initiative of imparting training to 37 selected representatives from eight Northeastern States in a bid to improve the security of people from the region, especially the girls who are vulnerable to rape and other sexual harassment in the national capital, has been taken up under the leadership of Robin Hibu, an IPS Officer from Arunachal Pradesh, who is now the Joint Commissioner (Training) in Delhi Police.

Interestingly, Robin Hibu is the same person who came under fire over the controversial booklet issued by West Delhi Police in 2007.

At that time, Robin was in charge of Deputy Commissioner (West Delhi) and he himself had written the introduction to the booklet under a catchy headline, 'Words to Seven Sisters'.

Six years down the line, the problem of discrimination and harassment felt by people of Northeast origin not only in the National capital but also in other metropolitan cities of the country have only increased with no solution in sight.

This could be one of the main reasons why the Delhi Police have made sincere effort this time to involve representatives from the region by way of imparting training in connection with several measures initiated for providing security to people from northeast.

Safety measures for working women include fast tracking of rape cases, directives to BPOs and call centres to drop female employees at their homes, dedicated phone lines, PCR to drop stranded women to their homes after sun set, lady police help desk in all police stations, deployment of police personnel in plainclothes at buses and metros, lady police at crime prone areas and training of women constables as commando for various beats.

Over and above this, seven nodal officers in the rank of Additional Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of Police would be appointed for seven districts to monitor works relating to security for Northeast people.

It is said that seven Public Prosecutors from Delhi Police Training College have also volunteered to give legal advice during any crisis faced by people from the Northeast in Delhi. All these sound okay.

But to achieve the much-vaulted 'Zero Tolerance Policy' for the safety and security of northeast students and others, Delhi Police should not shy away from registering complaints when approached.

In most cases, Delhi police have been charged with ignoring repeated requests for registering complaints.

But we feel, there should be no room for testing the tolerance of anyone for any 'Zero-Tolerance Policy', whether it is for northeast or any other region.