Representatives of students from northeastern states may get quicker access to the city police, to seek redress in cases of harassment and discrimination.

In a meeting between student representatives and special commissioner, law and order, Dharmendra Kumar, it was decided to provide special identity cards to the representatives.

Delhi Police will also create a Facebook page for people from the northeast to post their problems on.
The meeting was arranged by Nagaland governor Nikhil Kumar, a former commissioner of Delhi Police. Students spoke about police insensitivity in cases of discrimination and crime against people from the northeastern states.

President of Naga Students’ Union, Delhi, Lhusisato Iralu, and founder member of North East helpline Alana Golmei, represented the students.

“We will provide identification cards to five representatives from each state of the region. Each state will have two representatives each in north and south Delhi, and one in east Delhi,” said Kumar.

Before meeting the police officers, the student representatives met the Nagaland governor and apprised him of police’s indifference towards problems of northeastern students. They complained that they have to bribe even to get an NOC for sending a corpse home.

Kumar promised to take up the issue with the home minister and the Delhi CM. “When people from the northeast accept people from mainland India with their features, and culture, why can’t people from mainland India reciprocate? It is basically lack of sensitivity.”

NSUD meets with Governor
State governor Nikhil Kumar, who was apprised of problems faced by Naga students in New Delhi, has assured to take up the matter with union ministry of home affair.

According to a DIPR report, representatives of Naga Students’ Union, Delhi (NSUD) met Nagaland governor Nikhil Kumar at the latter’s private residence in New Delhi June 28 and discussed the problem faced by students in the capital.

Nikhil reportedly told the Naga student leaders that “what I heard from you depressed me” and assured he would take up the matter with union ministry of home affair and also to all the governors/chief ministers of north eastern states.

Apprising governor of various problems faced by the Naga students, NSUD representatives said often lower rank police personnel failed to cooperate and that Nagas found it difficult to solve their grievances. NSUD representatives said the matter could be resolved only after they took up the case with higher rank.

They also stated that landlords often charged higher rent than other local tenants, and moreover they said landlords without any prior notice or condition asked them to vacate the place.

Student leaders also shared serious concern for women, both working and students, as they often faced harassment and discrimination in the city.

NSUD leaders suggested, if possible, special course training be imparted to lower rank police personnel to deal with student community.