Delhi Chief Minister assures to take steps for safety of NE students

Itanagar, May 21 (UNI) Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit has asked the Police Commissioner to take necessary action regarding the incident of alleged assault on Arunachalee students in the national capital on February this year.

Official sources said here today that in a letter to Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minster Dorjee Khandu, Ms Dikshit informed that she had directed the commissioner to send the report on the action taken at the earliest.

While thanking Ms Dikshit for her concern, Mr Khandu hoped that her initiative would go a long way in fostering the assimilation of the students of the region studying in Delhi in the national mainstream, the sources added.

A group of Arunachalee students studying in Delhi were allegedly assaulted by some shopkeepers of MCD Market in Chanakyapuri on February 15 when they were out shopping on the eve of Arunachal's Statehood Day.

The attack had left four students hospitalised with serious injuries.

A case of rioting and attempt to murder was registered and 11 shopkeepers were subsequently arrested by the Delhi Police.

Mr Khandu, while taking the matter seriously, had written to his Delhi counterpart, expressing concern about the safety of the students of the NE region in Delhi and the possibility of recurrence of such incidents.

BJP MP from Arunachal Pradesh Kiren Rijiju, who had rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation, later wrote to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, saying, ''The people of the mainstream are seemingly becoming intolerant towards the people of the NE and incidents of racial abuse, discrimination, sexual harassment and denial of dignity are becoming more apparent in recent times.'' UNI UPB DPM RD1226