NE MPs urged to bring justice to Awungshi
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, June 15 2013 : In an open letter, Members of Parliament (MPs) from the North Eastern States have been urged to bring immediate justice to Reingamphi Awungshi and other victims from North East India.

Signed by people from all across the globe, the open letter, which is an initiative of Justice4Richard, the attention of the elected MPs from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim and Manipur has been drawn to the recent tragic death of Reingamphi Awungshi.

"We strongly believe that the circumstances that lead to the death of the beautiful daughter of Ukhrul and many insensitive and humiliating incidences following the death are a result of many attitudes and attributes that has been formed through the years", the open letter said, adding that it is a great pain that many of her loving friends and well wishers have to fight to even register a FIR.

"Worse is the investigating police officer who had total disregard and disrespect even for the death that we were told that we are spa working people and it was reason for such incidences of 'death' happens.

We wonder how in the face of such attitude which has strong humiliating and degrading attitude towards the people of North East India, Reingamphi Awungshi can even have a unbiased investigation leave alone justice.

Many of us believe there are very strong evidences of homicidal signs and even possibility of sexual assault leading to the death.

We believe one of most important factor that have lead to these ever increasing of negative attitude towards us, that even disrespect us in death is the absence of voices and solidarity of our own people", the open letter observed.

It went on to say, "We are deeply hurt and angry that our leaders seem to have left us and ignored us during such challenging and tragic times especially aggravated by a biased investigation and non-coverage by the many institutions because of our racial origin.

We wish to request you to please exercise your full responsibility and power bestowed by the people who have elected yourself as leaders and make strong initiatives and actions to bring about justice to Reigamphy Awangshi and take punitive actions against those officials and professionals who have made skewed opinions and decision heavily affected by our racial origin" .

The open letter also requested the MPs to take notice of the continuing coverage or wilfully undercoveraged in the national media of many such tragic incidences involving people from north eastern region, 'which we believe is because of racial prejudice' .

"We would like to summarise to please share your words of condolences and help Awungshi and help prevent the fate that poor Awungshi have to experience even in death", the open letter pleaded, while urging to acknowledge the presence of dangerous racial stereotyping and prejudice that have not only dehumanise and degraded the life of many but also cause many physical and emotional trauma and even have lead to death .

Comment