EMN
DIMAPUR, FEBRUARY 9
CHIEF Minister and Convenor of the North East Regional Parties Front (NERPF) Neiphiu Rio along with all affiliates of the NERPF has condemned the rape of a 14-year-old girl from Manipur in New Delhi on February 7.
The NERF also condemned the brutal manner in which two young women from Manipur were assaulted and thrashed in Delhi and the cold blooded murder of Nido Tania. In a statement today, the NERF has described these incidents as just a tip of the iceberg of the enormous amount of discrimination that the people of the Northeast face and are facing all over the country especially in the national capital region.
While welcoming the steps taken by the Central government in setting up a panel and assurances given by the Delhi Chief Minister, the statement opined that these are measures too little too late. It said the government of India must come up with concrete steps to ensure that discrimination to people of the North East is addressed as a national issue, instead of making piecemeal announcements from time to time.
It was critical of the response of the government of India which, it alleged, only reacted after people of the region protested and all regional parties of the region took the matter to the President of India and the Union government.
Extending support to the victims and their families, the NERF said it was in solidarity with the thousands of people and students who have been peacefully protesting in the most civilised and democratic manner. The NERPF said immediate steps by the Government of India to establish state-of-the-art modern educational institutions in all spheres within the north eastern region and create infrastructure and put in place economic policies backed by concrete action that will create educational and job opportunities for the youth within the region.
The NERPF demanded that immediate justice be delivered and the severest form of punishment be handed to the culprits who have committed these inhuman crimes that have hurt the sentiments of the millions of people in the north eastern region and shaming the reputation of the world’s largest democracy.
