Social profiling on NE people triggered reaction

Agartala, July 12 (UNI) The ruling CPI(M) in Tripura have condemned the Delhi police's move towards social profiling of Northeastern students calling it ferogatory while the Congress denounced the move and demanded immediate withdrawal of the order.

Both the Congress and Kasturba Gandhi Memorial Trust, Tripura wing, had decided to press Delhi Government to stop such a move as well as to provide full security to the students and visitors of Northeast in Delhi.

West Delhi police had issued a booklet titled "Security Tips for Northeast Students' or Visitors" in Delhi last month with 'well-meaning' advice that should help the people blend into the Delhi society despite the handicap of their 'foreign' features, which triggered outrage among the Northeastern community.

The booklet said the women do not cover themselves up, they mix with no one, the smell of their food was so awful that it is a threat to public order.

Incidentally, about 45,000-odd Northeasterners, including 8000 students from Tripura have been living in and around the capital.

In regard to the attire of the northeastern girls, the booklet said, ''Revealing dresses should be avoided and they should avoid lonely roads or bylanes when dressed scantily.'' As for food habits, bamboo shoots and "smelly dishes of dry fish" should be prepared without creating ruckus in the neighbourhood, which the Delhiites of NE origin treated as derogatory to the multi-cultural feature of India and it implied that women from the region had loose character.

Reacting on the issue, Left Front spokesperson Goutam Das said, ''This is unprecedented and against the constitutional rights of the northeastern people,'' adding that such action would only impose a sense of alienation of the people of the region as a whole and student in particular.

He, however, suggested the Delhi police authority that instead of issuing code for the NE people, they should try to educate the people of Delhi on the tradition and culture of the region besides, assuring full security to the people of the region in the national capital.

On the other hand, in a letter to Delhi Chief Minister senior Congress leader Tapas Dey urged to withdraw the order otherwise the sense of inferiority and alienation would be encouraged among the northeastern people.

''Since, India is a multi-cultural country, we have to tolerate each other and to pay respect to the tradition, habit and culture,'' Mr Dey pointed out.

Leading women activist and chief of Kasturba Gandhi Memorial Trust, Tripura wing Ms Fulan Bhattacharjee strongly condemned the move and stated ''The Delhi police were trying to give excuse for their inefficiency.'' She had also asserted that they have decided to lodge a protest against the move with Delhi Chief Minister.

UNI