Topic: Violence against North East Indians

CONTENTS

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Introduction.....................................................................4
The North East India in National Scenario......................5
Push Factors for Migration...................................6
Challenges in Delhi & NCR..............9
Nido Taniam Death Incident............................................10
Recommendations.............................................................11
Conclusion.........................................................................13
Bibliography.......................................................................14

INTRODUCTION
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Ethnic relations or discrimination in India pertain to the attitude of Indians to people of

other ethnicities or races. Within India, almost each province has its own distinct style and
flavour in its folk form of music and dance, and mutual influences are not rare. Distinct style
and character can be seen in paintings, sculpture architecture, poetry and other traditions of
the country.
The issues and challenges faced by the people from North East India living in Delhi and NCR
and now in other mega cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Pune has become a
national issue and debated widely. The institutions like Jawaharlal Nehru Universities, Delhi
University, Jamia, Indira Gandhi Open Universities and Tata Institute of Social Sciences,
Mumbai have conducted various research projects on the issues faced by the North East
Indian migrants.
Now, The S. K. Women College in collaboration with Human Rights Alert, Manipur taking
up the issues faced by the North East Indian communities is the need of the hour. The
findings and outcome of this seminar, could become the social actor and indicator for the law
enforcing agencies and government to make laws, policies and develop plan of action by
Central and respective governments.
North East Support Centre & Helpline conducted a research during January and February
2011 under the title, North East Migration and Challenges in National Capital Cities. The
report of the project was released on International Womens day on 8 March 2011 and copies
were made available for public access.
The study was carried out through field interviews, questionnaire and literature research
methodologies. The respondents are from two sources First, 107 respondents from field
interviews and questionnaire and second from 96 victims who have reported to North East
Support Centre and Helpline during 2005 2011.
The purpose of the study was to explore the trend of North East Indian migration and
challenges faced in Delhi and NCR through an academic research project. The study
recommended for law enforcing agents and concerned governments to introduce suitable
laws, policies, and plan of actions and implement them to end sexual violence, racial
discrimination, and challenges of human trafficking faced by North East India communities.

THE NORTH EAST INDIA IN NATIONAL SCENARIO

The hate rumour against the people from North East India living in mega cities has caused the
panic among the entire North East communities and fled for life. The situation became worse
in spite of the repeated assurance by Indian parliament and state governments.
There are invisible communal forces behind the hate rumour. The intention of the invisible
communal forces was to defame the certain minority communities and provoke for a
communal clash among the different communities in India. The nation has witnessed similar
intentions in the past. The Hindutva forces planted bombs to defame Muslim communities.
Times of India reports that 20% of the hate rumour against the people from North East India
were posted in the blogs belong to Hindutva forces.The hate rumour has left a deep wound
that will remain unhealed for long time. There has been a massive social profiling and attack
on North East people for last many years. The government machineries were not able to stop,
the crimes increased, first in Delhi and NCR, now expanded to mega cities and all over the
country.
Delhi has become a rape and unsafe capital for women, particularly those working at night.
The case of Dhaula Kuan gang rape of 30 years old Mizo girl, an employee at BPO by five
men in moving truck on midnight of November 23, 2010 had shocked the whole nation. It
was not the first nor was last of the plights faced by people from North East India.
The North East Migration
The usage of term migrants to North East India living in Delhi and other cities has been
criticised by some individuals, saying that how can be the same citizen of the nation be called
a migrant in their own country. However, scholars use same terminology while defining the
urban migration to own citizens.
The Migration at Peak
Until early 2000 , the majority of the people from the North East India came to Delhi for
central government jobs and higher studies. The larger number of people began migrating
after 2000 and increased in last five years, most to pursuit of higher studies and hunt
employment opportunities. Prasant Barooah of NE Career Centre reports, If you look at the
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trend analysis on North East Indian students going abroad for Higher Studies and job
opportunities (2005-2009), it shows increasing trend till about 2007, but decreasing trend
since 2008. However, migrating to other cities of India went high.
According to the study, over 414,850 people migrated from Northeast India to other mega
cities of India during 2005 and 2010. It is 12 times growth from 34,000 populations in 2005
in the last six years. The annual average increasing number of migration is 13.62%, which is
about 50,000. By now, about 500,000 people have migrated, and this will increase up to 50
lakhs migrants in next five years.
Delhi is one of the most preferred destinies for the North East migrants. It has over 200,000
North East migrants, which is 48.21%. Only 5% of migrants return to North East India after
completing their studies.
The 66.35% of the North East migrants migrate for higher studies, out of which, 78.15% for
graduate studies, 11.48% for Engineering/managerial, 6.80% for Research/Ph. D. and 3.57%
for medical studies while 35% of migrants migrate for employment opportunities in other
cities of India with 15% for Government jobs and 85% for un-organized private sectors.
There are numbers of push factors for the North East Indians to migrate to Delhi, Bengaluru,
Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata and other cities. Identification of these push factors is important
as it reveals the real life situation of the region that existed for years without any specific plan
to address the problem. The push factors include the following.
PUSH FACTORS FOR MIGRATION
Lack of Educational Infrastructure the Main Push Factor
The lack of the educational infrastructure with limited choice of studies available in the North
East India, is a major push factor for migration to other cities and overseas. The study finds
that the lack of educational infrastructure with limited choice of education is the main push
factor to the migration from the region. The educational system is badly affected. This should
be a top concern for the entire region. Almost all government-run schools have failed and the
high school and higher secondary education survived because of the private schools. The
most affected state is Manipur where there are about 100 days without classes in a year as
schools are closed due to public strikes.
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The Lack of Employment Opportunities: The Push Factor

There is a lack of employment opportunity in all North East states. Government employment
is small percentage and it is available only to those who have political connections or money
to bribe. The educated poor, who have no political connections, do not get government jobs.
The corporate and private companies do not invest in the region but attracts the young
educated generation to mega cities with employment opportunities. The English medium
education offered by various private schools in North East India and the personalities of the
educated unemployed youngsters, helps them to get jobs in BPO companies, hospitality
industries and beauty parlours in mega cities.
The Socio-Political Crisis: The Push Factor
The socio-political unrest has affected the education, the economic, and the employment
opportunities in North East India. The mushrooming of militants, bloodshed, constant public
strikes, Armed Forces Special Powers Act, and corrupt nature of government are major
feature of socio-political unrest in the region for 50 years and more. Life in the region is a
nightmare 100 days of public strikes in a year markets shut, schools closed, and public
transportation off the road.
Delhi Most Preferred Destiny: The Pull Factor
With the emerging of globalization, Delhi is the most attractive destiny for North East
migrants for good educational infrastructure with multiple choices of study and employment
opportunities in Central government jobs and private companies.
The major pull factor for the migration of people from North East India is the impact of
globalisation. Although the push factors mentioned above have existed in the region for the
last few decades, the phenomena of migrating to mega cities, particularly in search of job
opportunities, did not take place until the emergence of globalisation. Globalisation opened
the door of opportunities for the whole world and it has attracted the people of North East
India to mega cities.
Delhi has Better Educational Environment

Delhi has much better educational environment that attracts the North East students with
multiple choices of courses to study. This has attracted the young generation from North East
India but only a small percentage of the population can afford to move.
Delhi has 937 Government schools and 1153 Private schools. Majority of the people from
North East India migrates to Delhi for higher and professional studies. Schools in Delhi
attract small number of children from North East India. The rich families can afford to send
their children for high school education in Delhi. In future, more children are likely to
migrate to Delhi if socio-political and education infrastructure remains in the same condition.
Delhi has recognized four Universities University of Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University,
Guru Govind Singh Indraprastha University, and Jamia Millia Islamia University. Under
Delhi University, there are 82 colleges offering various fields of studies from Graduation to
Ph. D. level. Jawaharlal Nehru University offers Arts, Aesthetics, Biotechnology, Computer
and System Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Computational and Integrative Sciences,
International studies, Language Literature and Cultural Studies, Life Sciences, Physical
Sciences, Social Sciences, Molecular Medicine, Sanskrit Studies, Law and Governance and
Nano Sciences etc.
Delhi has Better Employment Opportunities
The employment opportunities in central government jobs have attracted the educated young
generation from the North East. They have to compete by taking examinations. However,
obtaining positions in a central governmental department is relatively easy because many
North Easterners come from Scheduled Caste and Tribe communities and qualify for reserved
jobs in both in higher and lower professions.
The Globalisation: The Pull Factor
The globalisation opened doors to many other employment opportunities, particularly for the
semi-professional and semi-skilled person. Many young boys and girls from North East India,
who are semi-skilled or semi-professional, get jobs in organised and non-organised private
companies like BPOs, hospitality corporations, and shopping malls. Many of these young
people have appealing personalities, the ability to communicate in English, and come from a
hospitality/socially oriented culture that values honesty and hard work. This makes them

attractive candidates to private companies. Nevertheless, they are not without challenges
when they migrate to mega cities, particularly in Delhi and NCR.
CHALLENGES IN DELHI & NCR
Unsafe Delhi for Women
Delhi has become an unsafe city with increasing crimes against women. According to Delhi
police, every 18 hours, a woman is raped and every 14 hours a woman is molested in Delhi.
Jagori an organization working for women in Delhi conducted a pilot research in 2009 and
their findings match close to police record. Around 70% women were reported harassed on
roads while around 60% men and 71% common witnesses reported that they have seen
women being harassed.
Unsafe for North East Communities
North East people in Delhi and NCR continue to face racial discrimination, racial attack,
abuse, rape, molestation, and killing. North East Support Centre & Helpline records 96
crimes against its people in Delhi and NCR, of which, 58% happened against women (34%
molestation, 8% human trafficking, 7% beating, 4% rape, 2% attempt to rape), 26% against
men, 5% murder, 6% non-payment of salary, 3% non-refund rent deposit, 1% missing person
and 1% media bias. Challenges faced by North East people in Delhi have a paradigm shift
from racial attack to sexual violence and sexual violence to human trafficking.
First two are not organised crimes while the last operates in organised gangs. We are not
prepared to handle it. Perhaps, there is a need for separate study on the issue of human
trafficking faced by the region.
Social Profiling against the North East Communities increase
The study finds 78% of North Easterners in Delhi face racial discrimination in different
forms, which is slightly less compare to the 86% in 2009. The 83% of North East men and
the 74% of their women face racial discrimination, while girls are victims of easy target of
sexual violence in Delhi and NCR.

Social profiling is the root cause of racial discrimination, attack, and sexual violence against
men and women from North East India. It is a reflection of Indias caste practices and social
system as majority of North East India come from scheduled caste and tribes and ethnically
Mongoloid race.
Inactiveness of Law Enforcing Agencies
Inactiveness of police officers on duty, who are biased in providing service to vulnerable men
and women to racial attack and sexual violence and failing to book the perpetrators have
fuelled more crimes against the North East Indian communities in Delhi and NCR.
There is reluctance to issue directive to law enforcing agencies to provide safety
measurement for vulnerable North East communities. They waited and delayed until the
matter became very serious.

NIDO TANIAM DEATH INCIDENT

On 2014 January 29 Nido Tania, a 20 year old Student from Arunachal Pradesh was
murdered in the Lajpat Nagar area of Delhi, triggering widespread protests. Nido Tania was
the son of Arunachal Pradesh Congress legislator Nido Pavitra. He was studying in Lovely
Professional University, Jalandhar.
Nido Tania had reportedly gone to Lajpat Nagar with three friends on Wednesday evening
and was looking for an address, when someone at a sweet shop allegedly began mocking him.
Nido responded by breaking a glass door at the sweet shop and the incident escalated. The
accused are Farman (22), Akram (27) and Pawan(27), who are in their 20s and run the
Rajasthan Paneer Shop. According to a member of the Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union,
Nido was teased about his hair.
The initial post-mortem did not reveal "much injury or aberration". Tissue samples were
retained for further examination to help determine the cause of death. Delhi Police has
registered a case of murder and nabbed the two accused. The Bezbaruah Committee was set
up by the Ministry of Home Affairs in the aftermath of this incident to gather information on
issues raised by people from Northeast India who are living elsewhere in India, especially in
metro cities.

The incident attracted widespread protests and criticism from Political Parties and Activists.
In wake of this incident, 7 advocates from northeast were empanelled by Delhi State Legal
Services Authority to provide free legal assistance to people from North-East India staying in
national capital.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Investment for Education and Economic Development
North East Indian states need specific investment for educational infrastructure and economic
development from Union government and state governments must prioritize it. Union
Government along with Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, North East
Council, and state governments must seek to invest more to develop more in educational
sector in the region.
The Union Governments budget of Rs 6000 crore for 2011does not have any specific
designated fund for higher educational infrastructure. The budget was a peanut compare to
the amounts of money sent by the poor parents from the entire North East India to their
children studying outside. Over 270,000 students if calculated at the rate of Rs 5000 per
month, it comes to amount Rs 1600 crore, which is the one fourth of the Union Governments
budget for the region.
Political Will
The nation saw the Indian parliamentarians while the North East Indian communities were
fleeing from Bangalore and other cities. It was a united voice of all parties, affirming their
care and concern for the community. Soon the political parties diverted the whole issue by
bringing the issue of CAG report. The world will doubt that it was just a crocodile tear.
A political will from Union Government, Delhi Government, and the Ministry of
Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) must issue directive to implement existing
laws, policies, and plan of actions to end racial discrimination, sexual violence, and human
trafficking challenges faced by North East communities in national capital cities. North East
MP Forums must take note of the plights faced by their communities and take up the matter
with concerned law enforcing agencies and governments.

The Union Home ministrys decision to include the racial discrimination under the Scheduled
Caste/Scheduled Tribe Prevention of Atrocity 1989 is one positive response. The North East
Indian communities will need to see how this new law is implemented.
Law Enforcing Agencies
Safety preventive steps taken by Delhi police following Dhaula Kuan gang rape case, setting
up night patrolling in unsafe places, CCTV camera installation, English speaker Helpline
operators, women helpline and women cell at police stations and 9 points safety guidelines to
BPO companies must be proactively monitored on regular basis.
The North East Support Centre and Helpline has been demanding for long time to appoint a
police officer, preferably from North East India and setup up separate helpline for the
community. It has been denied and delayed for years. Now, with political will, DCP Mr
Robin Hibul from Arunachal Pradesh has been appointed to look into the issues and
challenges faced by the community.
The Need of Cultural Sensitisation and Integration
The student communities beginning from class 10 must be sensitised about safety before they
leave their home states for further study and job in mega cities. Many of the North East girls
get shocked when they fall at the prey of the perpetrators.
The student communities from various cities of India kept on requesting the North East
Support Centre and Helpline to extend to other cities. It was not in the position to extend.
Now different North East Student Forums are setup in different cities. They will have
challenges as the service to the needy and victims cannot be given by non-professional
personnel.
Basic legal awareness on how to file cases and legal remedies are essential part of
sensitisation. The North East Indian communities have bias conception about the case being
filed. They are worried about their names included in the case, fearing that it will hamper in
their career. When they lodge a complaint and case filed, it is not a case registered against
their names. It must be sensitised to them.

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Lastly, not the least, the cultural integration is very important and the need. The cultural
integration with different communities is needed from all sections of Indian society. The civil
societies and publics support shown this time from different corner of the nation is the sign
that there are people who do not subscribe to any form of social profiling and racial attack.
The cultural integration with different people will help dealing the challenges faced by the
North East Indian communities.

CONCLUSION
In recent years there have been many reports of discrimination against Northeastern Indians.
In 2007 the North East Support Center & Helpline (NESC&H) was started as a separate wing
of All India Christian Council, with the goal of increasing awareness of prejudice and attacks
against people from North-East India. Many people from Northeast face difficulty and
discrimination for accommodation. Many north-easterners are called "chinky" by people in
New Delhi, in reference to the appearance of their eyes, though it may not widely be
applicable to Assam because of mixed demographics where an equally significant number of
the population are "Indo-Aryan" and thus lack Mongoloid phenotypes. A spokesman for the
NESC&H, said that abuse and harassment of north-easterners had became more.
In 2012, in an attempt to prevent racial discrimination against people from the North East,
Indian government has asked all the states and union territories to book anyone who commits
an act of atrocity against people from the region under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. A person found guilty under this act, can be jailed for 5
years.
Denial of racism is perhaps the most subtle and commonplace form of racism in India. It is
high time that India faced up to the widespread racism and xenophobia in social prejudices,
but even more so in State policy and politics. The killers of Nido Taniam must be punished,
as must be the police officials responsible for trying to suppress the case. Racist propaganda
by political leaders must be sternly punished. Governments at the Centre and State must enact
a law against racial discrimination. And the discriminatory and draconian AFSPA must go.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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2. Assam Chronicle, Student Outflux from North East India,
http://www.assamchronicle.com/node/240 (accessed 12 February 2011).
3. Vanlalchhawna, Higher Education in North-East India (New Delhi: Mittal Publication,
2006) 172.
4. Vanlalchhawna, Higher Education in North-East India, 172.
5. The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region and North East Council, North
East Region Vision 2020 http://tripura.nic.in/portal/More_Info/document/central/NE
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http://www.ipcs.org/article/india/who-rules-manipurs-streets-1839.html (accessed 13
February 2011).
7. SR Tohring, Violence and Identity in North East India: Naga-Kuki Conflict (New Delhi: A
Mittal Publical, 2010), 146.
8. Directorate of Education, Government Schools,
http://www.edudel.nic.in/mis/schoolplant/school_information.htm (accessed 13 February
2011).
9. Centre for Civil Society, Overview of School Education in Delhi,
(http://www.ccsindia.org/ccsindia/policy/ed/studies/wp0068.pdf (accessed 13 February 2011).
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