In the midst of the Indo-Naga political talks when Nagas are looking forward to have a lasting peace and solution, people from North East are being alienated and treated as second class citizen of India and the call for joining mainstream is being conveyed to them by the Government of India. The Northeast women are targets for the Indian as an object of sexual harassment and they are sexually exploited in other cities of India and as well as back home with Armed Forces Special Power Act as the shield for the Indian soldiers.

Naga Peoples' Movement for Human Rights Delhi notes with serious concern as the level of harassment and exploitation is rising daily at a very high rate. It is also important to consider that it has always been the motives of the Government of India to harass the people from Northeast where-ever they are.

The Government of India have been emphasising over the years the need for the people of north east to join the mainstream for better kind of developmental work and the education system. It is not this kind of policy that the people from the Northeast yearn for. Is this the price that we have to pay? (For the better interest of the so-called mainstream people Northeast people have to suffer.)

The Northeast people are harassed, exploited, discriminated and have to live with social stigma in other parts of India. It is a fact that Northeast women are not safe in other cities. It was presumed that Northeast women in other cities were harassed mainly outside their residence but now it has come to our notice that they are equally vulnerable within the four walls of their home.

On the 25th February 2006 evening in Gurgoan the landlord of the house sexually harassed a woman who happens to be a Naga in a house where the Northeast boys were residing. She had gone to her friend's place with one of her cousin searching for a rented house. The landlord implicated the girl with false allegation that she is a prostitute and she should stand naked and the other boys were pushed out of the room. When he tried to forcefully pull down her shawl that she was wearing the boys tried to intervene but they were beaten up badly with cricket bat.

The next morning the landlord's son along with his friend beat the boys up again threatening them to end the matter there or to face dire consequences. The youths were not able to get over the trauma for the past three days. It is a fact that every Northeast woman is seen as a prostitute by the Indians and boys are considered as some cheap pimps who ought to be beaten up at every instance they get a chances to lay their hands upon.

It is a pain to know that women from Northeast have to face hostility at every step they have to take, in other parts of cities in India. It is also important to remember that many rape cases and harassment cases are still not yet taken up and their complaints have gone into the dustbin.

On 28th of Feb 2006 they approached the Naga Student Union Delhi and Naga Peoples' Movement for Human Rights for help. They were advised to file an FIR at the earliest. So they went to police station the next day where they were denied even the basic right to file a FIR.

On 2nd March two of the student activist accompanied them and submitted the application for filing FIR against the culprit. It was a shocked to the student that the police threatened them instead of helping them out. ASI Adarsh Singh of Qutab Enclave police station was the person who was behind denying the victim even to seek protection under the law.

Till today they are not allowed to file the FIR forget about the many hours of begging and requests required to convince the police to put a stamp over the application. Why is it that the people from Northeast are even denied the rights to file FIR? Isn't the law above every citizen of India and where is Indian democracy that they take so much pride in being the largest democratic country in the world.

Let us recall the incidents that had occurred in and around Delhi, where action was not taken up and ignored list is growing day by day.

One of the incidents took place in Mahipalpur, Delhi on 25th December 2005, where 5 Nagas were badly beaten up which included a woman and a physically handicapped male. In the Medical Report, it was shown that two of them got serious injuries in their heads and their spinal cords were severely damaged. Even after a FIR was filed, the S.H.O of Vasant Kunj, Delhi Police has not yet taken up any action since the victims are from Northeast who are considered as third class citizen.

All these years, we have been living in fear under the shadow of the tyranny of Indian army in Northeast. Are we supposed to go on living with fear even outside the jurisdiction of Armed Forces Special Power Act? How long do we continue to remain as a mere spectator to all these prejudices, abuse, harassment and exploitation?

Isn't it the right time for us to gather our courage and raise these issues? The police and the Indians citizen are hand in glove in discriminating the Northeast people. It is a case of racial discrimination, attempts to rape, murder, molestation and harassment. NPMHR Delhi calls upon all the people of Northeast to stand up and fight for their rights.

"Violation of human rights in any parts of the world is a threat to the human race as a whole and protection and promotion of human rights anywhere is a concern for all."