Northeast students find supporter in Rahul Gandhi

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said he will fully cooperate with the students' union in its efforts to check the rising instances of crime against women and men from the northeastern states.

Pali Gongo, co-convener of the Northeast Students Union, said: "We went to meet Rahul Gandhi today (Thursday) to seek his support in fighting the rising crime against the northeastern community. Not only did he show his keen interest in the matter but also promised us full cooperation."

"We had a list of demands to fight this dangerous trend of targeting the northeastern community and Rahul Gandhi said that he will publicly announce his views on our demands very soon. He also said that he will be in regular contact with us," Gongo told IANS.

There has been an increasing number of cases of crime against women of the northeastern states living in the capital. On Saturday, a Naga girl was murdered by an Indian Institute of Technology scholar for rebuffing his advances.

The Naga Students Union has planned a massive protest rally and a sensitization drive Friday, Gongo said that the students have also submitted a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with 15 specific demands.

"We have 15 specific demands from the government in order to safeguard the northeastern community in the capital, and elsewhere in the country from racial bias. One among them is that there should be a 24/7 police control vehicle in vulnerable areas like Munirka in south Delhi where such crimes are often reported from," Gongo said.

"We also demand that there should be a special committee to look into cases of crime against northeastern women. The nodal officer in the police force, who is meant to look into these crimes, should be a person from the northeast, and there should be certain points included in the IPC (Indian Penal Code) whereby racial discrimination is absolutely not tolerated anywhere in the country," he added.

A 24-hour toll free helpline number and a special help cell for women are also among the demand the union has made.

"We are also planning a candle light vigil sometime in December to spread awareness against racial discrimination of the community. We will make sure that all of these initiatives are an on-going, sustained effort and not just an isolated event, in order to check these heinous crimes," Gongo said.