Christian NGO demands safety of northeast women in capital

Expressing shock at the rape of a Mizo girl in Delhi, a Christian group working to prevent harassment and abuses meted out to northeast people, demanded a special government helpline for people from northeast communities.

"Panic has spread among northeast communities in Delhi as the incident repeats the story of 2005 Dhaula Kuan gang rape of a Mizo girl in a moving vehicle. Neither Delhi Police nor Government has taken any concrete step to stop social profiling and racial attack on northeast people," said Madhu Chandra, spokesperson of North East Support Centre & Helpline.

The victim, a 30-year-old BPO employee was picked up by four drunken men near Dhaula Kuan and gangraped for over 40 minutes in a moving vehicle early on Wednesday morning.

Police are yet to make any headway in arresting the four men involved.

Following the incident, Chandra said he approached senior officials in Home Ministry and Delhi Police and demanded a special helpline for north east communities headed by a police officer preferably from that region.

In addition to that, he demanded that night patrolling be enhanced at prone areas. Incidentally, it has been informed that majority of victims attacked in the capital belonged to Christian communities.

"We are demanding Delhi Police to setup special night patrolling to escort North East girls and other working women at the areas where such cases take place repeatedly," said Chandra.

He alleged that call-centre cabs drop women on main roads late at night and they have to walk home.

"We strongly believe most of these women will be protected if Delhi Police enhances night patrolling," he said.

A memorandum will be submitted to the chief minister of Delhi, National Commission for Women and National Commission for Minorities.

According to North East Support Centre & Helpline, over 15 cases of molestation and abuse against people from the northeast have been reported this year. In 2009, 39 cases were reported, including eight cases of molestation and one rape case.