Alienation and abuse of people from Northeast India

To,
Dr. Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister Of India
South Block, Raisina Hill,
New Delhi,
India-110 011

We, members of the Indian community residing all across the globe, strongly condemn the gang rape of a Delhi University Student earlier this month. Based on the news report published, the victim was of Northeast Indian heritage. While the heinous crime may be a reflection of the failure of the capital citys law enforcement agencies to safeguard its citizens, the circumstances under which it occurred seems to be a reflection of the general undercurrents of treatment meted out on a regular basis to women from the northeast who have moved to Delhi for education and employment.

In your discussions with the Members of Parliament from the northeast, you have assured the setting up of a ladies hostel for students and working women from the northeast. While we consider this step necessary, it is rather short-term and doesnt address the crux of the matter, which is a case not only of gender inequity, but also racial intolerance. Therefore, we would urge your intervention to undertake the following measures to ensure that every woman in New Delhi feels safe and secure:

1. Ensure that adequate psychological counseling and physical rehabilitation are being provided to the victim
2. Nab the perpetrators of the crime and mete out exemplary punishment to the full extent of the law.
3. Take disciplinary action, including suspension, against the Delhi Police officials who failed to respond to calls for help within 15 minutes of the crime.
4. Ensure that the Delhi Police sensitizes itself to the fact that there are Indian nationals who do not conform to their ideas of what constitutes the physical attributes, language and cultural ethos of an Indian. A mandatory training program should be developed to address this and related issues emanating from an Indians region, social denomination or religion of birth.
5. Publish public relations full page advertisements from the prime ministers office in all leading dailies of the capital, urging the citizens of New Delhi to be vigilant of such crimes and more importantly, to identify the people of northeast India as one of their own. As a Member of Parliament from Assam, no one would have a bigger impact on the local psyche than your concern and willingness to fight for those you represent.
6. Pass laws in parliament where racial epithets used against people from the northeast are punishable, similar to those used against verbal abuse of various social denominations in Indian society.

We find all the circumstances under which the aforementioned crime was committed extremely humiliating and disturbing as Indians who are really proud of our country. It is a real shame for a country which stood against apartheid in South Africa. We strongly urge you take the necessary steps to ensure that such crimes do not occur in the future, and that the women in Delhi and the citizens from all over India including the northeast feel at home in the nations capital.