IMPHAL, February 5: Nearly a thousand students and youth from all North Eastern communities gathered for a peaceful candlelight vigil in Delhi University’s North Campus on Thursday against the recent attacks on people from the region in the national capital.
According to a statement of the North East Forum for International Solidarity, the students and youths gathered under the banner of the forum and sloganeered against racism, insensitivity of Delhi police and rampant barbaric attacks on North East youth in the city.
The candle light vigil proceeded to nearby localities like Vijaynangar and Patel Chest where a lot of North East students live in paying guest accommodations, it said.
A large number of the protesters were from the women’s colleges of DU where the students have been increasingly concerned about a growing spate of sexual harassment of North East women students in and around the university campus, it continued.
Addressing the gathering, Maya John, a teacher of Miranda House College, congratulated the students and youth for uniting across community lines to express solidarity against racism and police negligence, further continued the statement.
The statement said, “With reports coming in regarding the possible imposition of a fine on Nido when he was taken to the local police station, and of the police’s hasty decision to drop him off in the same area of the altercation, we strongly believe that the Lajpat Nagar SHO and local police officers be should be investigated for their role in neglecting the seriousness of the incident.”
Our demand for strict action against not just Nido’s perpetrators but also the local police station stems from the fact that in general the Delhi Police has been known to downplay complaints of North East youth against racial discrimination, it said.
Meawhile, the Manipur Students’ Association Delhi (MSAD) had also organised a mass rally condemning the racial killing of Nido Taniam and the physical assault of two Manipuri women in Delhi on Thursday.
Many students irrespective of community, caste and gender had participated in the rally. The rally was started from Vishwavidyalaya Metro Station to Arts Faculty of Delhi University via GTB Nagar Metro Station. The students had raised slogans like “We want justice, Stop racism, Delhi Police shame shame, Indian government shame shame” etc. Later the students were gather at Arts Faculty, DU. Many students, activist and teachers had spoken condemning the acts of racism which are continuously perpetrated by the mainstream Indians. Students decided not to cease the protest until the justice is fulfilled. The protest winded up with a mass candle light vigil, said a Manipur Students Association, Delhi statement.