The death of 19-year-old Nido Taniam, who succumbed to injuries after being allegedly beaten up by a group of men in Lajpat Nagar in Delhi, has further increased fears among of the 3,000-odd students from the northeastern states who face harassment almost every day in the city.
While the students are confident of safety, they regularly face comments about their looks and lifestyle that is different from the local populace. The northeastern students have borne the brunt of a series of attacks in the city in 2012.
“The incident once again reminded us about the string of attacks on us that took place in 2012 in the city and prompted many of us to return to our states. We are quite confident that nothing untoward will take place this time,” said Domin Tara, former general secretary of Arunachal Pradesh Students Association in the city.
Aleno Angami (26), a multimedia student who lives in Kondhwa, said that though the incident was unfortunate, he can identify to the situation.
“The people in the area I live often tease me and call out names, but being a girl living alone in the city, I cannot revoke. After the Delhi incident all of us from the community feel threatened by the locals. We cannot leave the city as we study here,” she said.
Another student PS Gibson (23) said that someone or the other tries to con him because of his ‘different looks’ almost daily. “The auto drivers try to overcharge me and sometimes even vendors try to sell vegetables at a higher price.”
The northeastern community in the city is planning to carry out a peace rally soon.
Rock Lungleng said that they are trying to convey the message among the community that they should not be scared or panicked. ‘We are planning to carry out a rally in the city to sensitize people about racial discrimination,” he said.
Raul Padi, LLB student from Arunachal Pradesh, said, “Once some unidentified people had thrown tomatoes at me when I was walking down the street in Gokhalenagar. I keep my cool and moved from the place,” he said.
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