Protest at Jantar Mantar against racism, demanding justice and security

21st November 2014

Students come out on streets and organize a protest at Jantar Mantar against racism, demanding justice and security on Nov 21 2014

North East Forum for International Solidarity (NEFIS) condemns the continuous murder and attacks on North-East community in the Metropolitan Cities.
Students come out on streets and organize a protest at Jantar Mantar against racism, demanding justice and security

On Wednesday, the 19 November, A young Ph.d. scholar from Manipur, Kashung Zingran Kengo was brutally murdered at his residence at 9.30 pm. When his body was found, his throat was slit and his head was almost severed. Next day another North-East student (22-year-old Samuel Haokim) was attacked in Bangalore for not knowing the local language Kannada.

Same day a girl was brutally murdered in Malviya Nagar, New Delhi. This case of assault on a North East youth living in Delhi is not one of its kind but part of a string of similar attacks and racial profiling of migrant North East youth. These incidents are not isolated incidents, but are a snapshot of a problem which is increasingly becoming a serious concern.

Delayed and poorly construed police action is typical in such cases. The incident is extremely disturbing and condemnable. We believe that such incidents are reflective of a dangerous trend of racism and also growing vigilantism in the city that targets vulnerable minority groups.

Following the gruesome death of young Students from North-East, on Wednesday and Thursday, North-East Forum for International Solidarity (NEFIS) organized a Protest at Jantar Mantar, where students representing each states of North-East came under the banner of North East Forum for International Solidarity (NEFIS) and raised slogan to protest against racism, injustice and insensitivity of Delhi police and rampant barbaric attacks on North East youth in the city. They came from various north east communities since the problem of racist attacks have been faced across the board by different north east communities.

And also some delegates of NEFIS went to Ministry of Home Affairs and Submitted Memorandum demanding these racist attacks should get a thorough and swift investigation. The culprits should be apprehended and immediate justice should be provided to the victims. The state should also take firm measures to ensure that these incidents are not repeated. Furthermore, we demand that all the victims of racist violence or their nearest kin should be compensated at earliest.

Chinglen Khumukcham and Hem Chandra Brahma
North-East Forum for International Solidarity (NEFIS)
Email: [email protected]

Students come out on streets and organize a protest at Jantar Mantar against racism, demanding justice and security on Nov 21 2014

North East Forum For International Solidarity (NEFIS)
Correspondence Add:
6/56, Double storey, Vijay Nagar, New Delhi-110009

Date 21.11.2014

To,
The Honourable Home Minister,
Government of India,
New Delhi.

Subject: Demand for preventive measures against racist violence perpetrated on people of North-Eastern states and the demand for compensation to victims of such violence.

Respected Sir,

The acts of criminal violence against the people of North-Eastern community are escalating in the country. The recent incidents are the brutal murder of a Zingran Kengoo, age 33, a PhD scholar from Mumbai's Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) of Manipur in New Delhi on 19th November, whose throat was slit open. Next day another appalling incident happened in Bengaluru, where a man was assaulted, who was only guilty of not speaking the regional language i.e. Kannada. Same day another girl was murdered cold blooded in Munirka, Delhi.

The recent upsurge of such crimes is inspired by racism directed against the North-Eastern community. These incidents are not isolated incidents, but are a snapshot of a problem which is increasingly becoming a serious concern. To give a brief survey of the series of which these recent incidents are but only a small part: the assault on Manipuri youths by drunk locals for not speaking Kannada; the murder of a woman from Mizoram in Munirka, New Delhi, the mass exodus of north-eastern people from Bengaluru due to rumours of them being attacked and the resulting hysteria spreading to other areas of the country; and numerous other incidents which show that these incidents have become a serious problem for north-eastern community in general and our country in particular.

The security of Indian citizens is a very important duty of the state. It especially becomes essential when a large section of North-East population migrates to mainland India to search for better education and employment, which are not available to them in their own region. Such racist attacks have been on rise and it shows the continued ignorance shown by the state administration towards the community coming from the north eastern part of the country.

As the Indian state is responsible for upholding and protecting the rights of its citizens, we demand that the issue of racism against North-Eastern community should be seriously looked into.

We demand that these racist attacks should get a thorough and swift investigation. The culprits should be apprehended and immediate justice should be provided to the victims. The state should also take firm measures to ensure that these incidents are not repeated. Furthermore, we demand that all the victims of racist violence or their nearest kin should be compensated at earliest.

Yours sincerely,

Chinglen Khumukcham
Convener
North East Forum for International Solidarity (NEFIS)