Women organisations appeal to President to safeguard women

Imphal, Nov 7 : Women committee of the United NGOs Mission Manipur (UNMM) has submitted a memorandum to President Pratibha Patil, urging her to safeguard women of Northeastern region in Delhi.

The committee formed by about 60 women organisations of Manipur said a 19-year-old Manipuri girl, Ramchanphy Hongray, was killed by an IIT doctorate scholar Pushpam Kumar Sinha at Munirka in New Delhi on October, 24.

It was stated in the memorandum that the incident should not be seen as a case in isolation. Rather it reflects the deep-rooted and widespread bias of mainland Indians against the people of the Northeast. This is not the first case of rape, molestation or exploitation of young people from the Northeast in mainland India. In the past too, so many young girls from the Northeast were molested and raped.

The memorandum added that on April 17, Giupuilu Gangmei, a five-year-old girl, was raped and murdered in broad daylight in Mahipalpur.

On September 20, a boy was severely assaulted with iron rods by local goons at Outram Lines, while on September 21, a girl was molested and beaten up by her neighbours at Munirka.

On October 11 a couple was assaulted by local goons and the police at first refused to register an FIR. The FIR was registered only after a hue and cry was raised.

Again on October 14, locals of Nariana assaulted and attempted to rape a girl, while on October 24, a 21-year-old girl from Arunachal Pradesh was molested by a team of students of a government-run school at Bharat Nagar.

It further stated that even now, there are thousands of young Northeastern boys and girls based in the metropolitan and other major cities of India for education and jobs.

However, they face lots of exploitation and harassment due to the difference in their facial features, culture and tradition. They are treated as second class citizens. This is against the very ethics and stand of independent and secular India as the Indian Constitution is based on the equality of all its citizens regardless of the diversity of race, religion, cultures and traditions.

They denounced the failure of the Indian Constitution to protect its citizens from the Northeast and they also drew the attention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the failure of his government in solving the insurgency problems in the Northeastern states in consultation with the people of the region, as well as the total collapse of education facilities and employment avenues in the Northeastern states, which have prompted the young boys and girls to migrate from the Northeast to other cities of the country.

--UNI

(c) 2009 Published with permission from United News of India.
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