The Ministry of Home Affairs is making amendments in the IPC against racial discrimination. Calling someone from north-east India by a derogatory name will soon be a non-bailable offence and land you in jail for up to five years. The Ministry of Home Affairs informed said this before the Delhi High Court.
The MHA is in process of finalising a comprehensive bill inserting new sections of 153 C and 509 A in IPC which will be introduced in Parliament after inter-ministerial consultation.
All this is as suggested by the M K Bezbaruah committee constituted in February 2014, following a spate of attacks against people from north-east living in Delhi.
According to Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain besides insertion of new sections in the IPC, the bill would also provide for legal assistance, special police initiatives and educating people in different parts of India about the northeast.
In recent years there have been many reports of discrimination against Northeastern Indians.
People from Northeast are invariably called “chinky” and face a difficulty in getting accommodation on hire. Landlords would charge higher rents from people from the north-east, auto drivers would also expect a higher charge.
The women from North East in particular, are the worst sufferers because of the general impression that they are loose character and easy to obtain. A call centre worker from Manipur, working in Gurgaon was waiting at the pickup point for her office cab when a car pulled up and a man asked, ‘Can I offer you a ride?’ By his looks and the tone of his voice it was clear what he was referring to.”
No wonder almost 74 per cent respondents from North-East felt Delhi was the most unsafe place to live in terms of ethnic discrimination.
Students from North-East who migrate to other parts of the country in particular fins themselves being treated as outsiders.
The common stereotype image about the north-east region is that of a dangerous place inhabited by head-hunting tribals.
