2 North-East Students ASSAULTED & RACIALLY ABUSED by Delhi Police, Two Officers Suspended

New Delhi, August 22, 2013: Just three days after an attack on three North-East students in Delhi, two more students from the region have suffered a similar ordeal. This time, the perpetrators were two sub-inspectors of the Delhi Police. Officers Puneet and Lakshmi Chand allegedly assaulted and racially abused two North-East students at Bharat Nagar Police Station. As a result, both officers have been suspended. Delhi Police are investigating the incident, and an FIR will be filed once the Medico-Legal Case (MLC) report is available, according to Robin Hibu IPS, Joint Commissioner of Police (Training) and Coordinator for North-East Students and Employees in Delhi.

Thanglunmang Khongsai, a representative of the North-East Forum for International Solidarity (NEFIS), stated that the students were beaten over a minor issue regarding a bus ticket. The incident took place near Delhi University’s Satyawati College, where the students were on their way to discuss issues faced under the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) and the general challenges encountered by North-East youth in Delhi. As they got off a DTC bus and spoke with a ticket checker, the two sub-inspectors intervened and began harassing them, Khongsai said.

Both students are active members of NEFIS, which has led protests against the compulsory Hindi language requirement in the FYUP curriculum at Delhi University. According to Khongsai, the officers took the students to Bharat Nagar Police Station, where they were physically assaulted and racially abused based on their appearance. “They were released only after being forced to sign a statement falsely claiming that they were not assaulted by the police but by a third party,” he added.

The students have undergone medical examinations at Hindu Rao Hospital, and legal action will be taken against the officers based on the MLC report, said Robin Hibu.

Meanwhile, Robin Hibu also informed our correspondent that he has initiated a meeting on August 31, 2013, involving Delhi Police representatives from North-Eastern states, student leaders, NGOs, and employees from the North-East to discuss measures for their safety and security in Delhi.

— BRUCE K. THANGKHAL
Media Incharge, North East Support Centre & Helpline, Delhi
(Special Correspondent for The Mizoram Post, Manipur Chronicle, Zogam Today)

 

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