By Our Reporter
Shillong: The Meghalaya Peoples’ Human Rights Council (MPHRC) has strongly slammed the racial profiling and harasssment to the indigenous people of North East India by the Delhi Police because of their facial similarity with Tibetans who have been protesting the visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao.
“We have received many complaints that people from the North Eastern Region were harassed by the Delhi Police in the markets, residential areas and streets and were asked to produce their ‘passports’ at Delhi in the backdrop of the protest launched by the Tibetan exiles against the visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao for the BRICS Summit at Delhi,” MPHRC said in a statement.
Welcoming the Delhi High Court Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice AK Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw judgement issued on Thursday which directed the Delhi Police not to harass people from the Northeast and Ladakh because of their facial similarity with Tibetans, MPHRC urged for punishment against the Special Commissioner of Delhi Police (Law and Order) Dharmendra Kumar.
“We urge Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma and the other Chief Ministers of various North Eastern States to rise to the situation and to address the sentiment of the people which is downright demeaning to their status as bonafide citizens of this country with great cultural Diversity,” the statement added.
Earlier, Union Minister of State for Rural Development, Agatha Sangma had also urged the Delhi Police to show ‘sensitivity and respect’ in dealing with people in the wake of reports that sleuths are questioning any person with ‘Tibetan features’ as part of their efforts to prevent protests during Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit.
“Sensitivity should be there when dealing with people. I wouldn’t say that it should be only because people are from Northeast and people are from Tibet,” she said. (With inputs from PTI)