Rumours of NE people ordered to leave Munirka in South Delhi go viral
Source: The Sangai Express / Ninglun Hanghal / PTI

New Delhi, February 17 2014: In what appears to be a similar case of the mass exodus of NE people from Bangalore and other South Indian cities in mid 2012 after a rumour went viral on the social media and MMS, an alleged report of NE people, Manipuris in particular, being asked to leave their rooms in Munirka village, South Delhi by their landlords under the diktats of the Khap Panchayat went viral on social media since yesterday.

Meanwhile, BS Jaiswal, the Delhi Commissioner of Police (South) dismissed it as 'misinformation' .

Sources in Munirka village said that the Resident Welfare Association (RWA) meeting did take place last week as usual.

Tom from Manipur who has lived for many years in Munirka told The Sangai Express that some of his friends received an information that a meeting took place and that a "mainland" Indian friend had revealed to some of the NE boys that the meeting discussed about people from NE residing in Munirka.

NE students and youth protest

Several Northeastern activists today alleged that a Resident Welfare Association (RWA) of South Delhi's Munirka ordered a Khap Panchayat like diktat asking people from the Northeast to move out from the area.

The information went viral pn the social networking sites since Sunday afternoon.

By Monday morning the said information created panic and tension.

They also claimed that those who passed the order include family members of the youth who had allegedly raped a 14-year-old Manipuri girl in the area a few days back and gave a written complaint in this regard to Vasant Vihar Police Station.

When The Sangai Express met some of the Manipuri residents there, many of them were unaware and most of them dismissed it as "baseless and a mere rumour".

One middle aged man who has lived in Munirka for more than 3 years said, "If they asked NE people to leave, where will they get room rent from ?" .

Another said "there was a house just next to my room.

The landlord did not want to rent it out to NE people, after some time there was no one to take the room, so at the end he rented it out to one Manipuri" .

They also disclosed that many a times landlord do ask people to vacate their rooms, for obvious reasons such as fights or some misunderstandings while many of them were in high regards and praise of their landlords, whom they said were quite liberal and do not interfere into their private affairs.

"They are responding after the rape of the 14-year-old.We have heard that those who have ordered this thing are the relatives of the culprit.

Right now the order has not been finalized but it was decided in the meeting yesterday," said one of the complainants.

Tom admitted that there are problems often with tenants and landlord.

"It is true and happened very frequently, we also created a lot of problems, specially people from Manipur and Nagaland, we are quite loud, careless and noisy too," he said.

Meanwhile BS Jaiswal the Delhi Commissioner of Police (South) dismissed it as 'misinformation' .

"It is a rumour," he told The Sangai Express.

Moreover, according to the Manipuri tenants in Munirka, there is no intimation to any of them to leave their rooms by their landlords.

Few other NE youths whom The Sangai Express met also said they did not receive any notice or information to leave their rooms.

It maybe mentioned that the last Delhi Panchayat elections were held in 1983.It was dissolved in 1989.Since then village panchayats were in existence informally with no legal sanctity.

Khap Panchayats are a social body formed by a group of village elders who hold quasi judiciary powers over social, traditional and customs of their geographical/territorial domain.

Binalakshmi Nepram, an activist working on issues related to Northeastern community said, "The SHO admitted that a meeting took place.

They are hiding under the name of RWA� We want the police to investigate the matter" .

However, an RWA member said that no such decision was taken and the meeting was convened to discuss other issues.

"No such decision was taken in our meeting.

Our main agenda was about shops which remain open till 2 PM in the area because of antisocial elements come in the area and they disturb the locals.

The meeting was to discuss this thing and to install CCTVs in some streets.

There was nothing related to Northeast people," he said.

A senior Police official also said that there was nothing like 'Khap Panchayat' and there was some misunderstanding between the two parties which was sorted out in the evening.

Police also assured them that legal action will be taken against any landlord who forcibly evicts people from the Northeast and promised increased patrolling in the area.

It was also decided that RWAs will issue circular to ensure nondiscrimination of Northeastern people in the area where a large number of Northeastern students reside in rented accommodations.