Jagdamba Mall
The death of Arunachal Pradesh student Nido Taniam (19) in Delhi after a fight between him and some traders who passed some insulting remarks on his hair style on January 29 hangs the head of all sensible people in shame. The victim was belonged to Lower Subunsari district of Arunachal Pradesh and was a son of the Congress MLA.
A team of North-East MPs met Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde demanding exemplary punishment to the culprits. The State Government of Delhi has ordered judicial inquiry in the case. The North-East students assembled at Lajpat Nagar Police Station and shouted at Police and Central Government. The Delhi Police has arrested three persons involved in the fight. Some North-East students are still staging a dharna at Jantar Mantar in Delhi for many days.
The killing has caused strong protest from different quarters. Bharatiya Janata Party led a protest procession against the incident and submitted a memorandum demanding severe punishment to culprits and providing security to NE students in Delhi. Home Ministry had issued strict advisory in 2013 to all the States to provide safety and security to NE students. In a case filed in Supreme Court, the Apex Court asked the Central Government to provide safety and security to NE students. Delhi High Court has also ordered Central and State Government of Delhi to have “zero tolerance” against the misbehaviour with NE students.
Shri Jagdeoram Oraon, president of Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, led a protest march on February 3 in Bhiwani (Haryana) and on February 5 at Faridabad (Haryana) in which workers and well-wishers of RSS, VHP, ABVP and Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram joined the protest rally and a memorandum addressed to the President of India demanding justice to NE students in Delhi was submitted to respective DCs at both the places. While addressing a Press Conference. Jagdeoramji expressed shock on ghastly killing of Nido Taniam. He offered a deep condolence to departed soul and demanded severe punishment to culprits.
In Delhi, workers and well-wishers of RSS, VHP, ABVP, Adhivakta Parishad and Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram sat on Dharna at Rajghat demanding justice to NE students and severe punishment to killers of Nido Taniam.
Dimasha Students Union (DMS), New Delhi has filed a petition in Delhi High Court. Prithviraj Nunisha, PR secretary of DMS told Organiser that they want a fair and instant action on this issue. They also met Shri Narendra Modi and Shri Arun Jaitley on the issue.
On the opening session of Parliament on February 5, 2014, Opposition Leader Smt Sushma Swaraj condemned the ghastly killing. “The People of Arunachal Pradesh are most patriotic who are, in fact, guarding the international border adjacent to China. They outrightly reject the allurement offered by China to support the Chinese intrusion. They should be welcomed in the Capital of the country of their own and they should be honoured for their service to nation. They have every right to come here for education, employment or for any purpose as they like. Because Delhi is also their’s as much as it is our’s.”
China claims whole of Arunachal Pradesh and for winning over the mind of the people of this State, it offers allurements and many more facilities to Arunachal Pradesh. But the unflinching nationalism and love to Bharatmata and her glory are never compromised. The people of AP stand like rock in defence of the nation. They offer every cooperation to Indian Army guarding the border. And for their patriotism, they should be honoured. The incidents as this are, shake and shatter their faith in Delhi. Mind that there are many divisive forces active in NE to exploit the situation and wean away them from national mainstream. AP is far away from Delhi, the dishonouring and humiliating behaviour of Delhi People push them farther and farther.
(With inputs from Nishant Azad)
Modi meets NE youths, students and professionals
To condemn the gruesome killing of Nido Taniam, a condolence get-together of North-East student and professionals was organised in Delhi on February 5. Shri Narendra Modi was the chief guest. Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Shri Arun Jaitley and Deputy Leader of Opposition Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad and former MP Shri Kiren Rijiju were also present.
Shri Narendra Modi said the brutal act is a very serious matter. This gruesome act should develop sensitivity towards North-East. He said the exchange of police force especially women police, within the states, as has been the practice in Gujarat, will surely sensitise the authorities and enhance the awareness among the people of rest of India. In metropolis, there should be sufficient hostels, educational institutions and other arrangements for the people of North east India. The main focus should be on developing the resources and infrastructure in the states of North-East.
Shri Arun Jaitley said the need is to address the pain of North-Eastern. Some efficient mechanism needs to be evolved to address and sensitise the Police, administration and Leaders towards them.
Stop the nonsense of racial discrimination
Virag Pachpore
This tragedy is being painted by multi-communal secular political brigade and its cohabiting media as a ‘racist attack’. Unending discussions were held on television channels to establish this racist theory and social media are flooded with such posts and quotes. I look at the entire issue from an altogether different angle.
The North-Eastern region enjoys a special geographical location in the map of India as it borders with hostile and not so friendly foreign countries like China, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bhutan. The Chinese, since they devoured Tibet in 1950s, have been consistent in their claim on Arunachal Pradesh. They have even challenged the visit of none other than our own Prime Minister to that State.
This region suffered the most severe and unexpected invasion from the Chinese army in 1962 and stood steadfastly against the invading forces with all courage and valor. China has extended red carpet to win over them to its side. But they are proud Indians and want to remain so. Yet the people from this region face discrimination. They are dubbed as ‘flat nose’, ‘Chinese’, ‘Nepalis’ etc. but we fail to understand that they are as Indians as we are.
And how we treat this strategically important region? The planners, oblivious to the ground realities and unaware of the popular aspirations chalk out certain schemes sitting in their air conditioned chambers in Delhi. They hardly visit the region, interact with the people in order to understand their needs, aspirations and then formulate the schemes.
Organisations like Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Arunachal Vikas Parishad, Akhil Bharatiya Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram, and institutions like Ramakrishna Mission, Vivekananda Kendra, Arya Samaj etc. have been trying hard to reverse this situation on physical and more on psychological levels. These organisations in this region have earned remarkable attention and praise from the North-Eastern people and have gone a long way in creating a feeling of oneness among the mainlanders. This writer had spent 14 years of his prime youth serving the people of that region and in the process learnt a lot of good things which otherwise would not have been possible in the ‘more educated, civilised and progressive’ society.
Historical records substantiate that since Mahabharata to Emperor Harshvardhana’s period this region was in close contact with the people from mainland and vice versa. During the British occupation, they deliberately tried to widen the gap and keep the people of this region away from contacts of the mainland people. This was aimed at converting these ‘savage’ people to Christianity and to keep this region under the British Crown forever. However, the policy continued after independence resulting in the widening of the gap that was thus created.
The oft repeated talk of ‘mainstream’ and bringing these people in the national mainstream seems to be deceptive. What is the mainstream of India? Is it confined to the Ganga-Yamuna belt only? Are Brahmaputra, Siang, Dirang, Lohit and other rivers of the region not part of the mainstream? Once, a very senior Khasi bureaucrat and prominent leader of Seng Khasi Movement in Meghalaya, the late U Hipson Roy, posed this disturbing question to me. The need of the hour is for the mainlanders to understand that the mainstream of India flows from the high mountains, sky-piercing peaks of the mighty Himalayas down to the plains of the Sindhu-Ganga-Brahmaputra to the southernmost tip of the Indian mainland. The sooner we understand this reality the better for the country and its people.
India is One Country, One People, One Race and One Culture. There are no coexisting races, cultures and peoples. The multi-communal secularists and their cohabiting media must understand this reality and stop their nonsense of racial discrimination. This is the real tribute to Nido Taniam.
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