The North East Students' Organisation (NESO) has called upon the MPs from the region to raise their voice against rising incidents of crime against students from the North east, particularly women, in the National Capital Region and asked the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to intervene to protect students.
"The prime minister in a letter dated November 12, 2009 had assured the NESO that steps would be taken to provide adequate physical security to students from the North East, particularly women, in the national capital. Despite the assurance, such atrocities continue in Delhi and the NCR. We, therefore, demand that Dr Singh who is a Rajya Sabha MP from Assam, must keep his promise to secure the life of students from the North East in the national capital," said Dr Samujjal Bhattacharrya, chairman of the NESO.
The executive body meeting of the NESO which was held in Guwahati on Thursday, resolved to send a delegation to New Delhi in January to take up the issue of security with the concerned authorities and central government.
The NESO criticized MPs from the North East for failing to respond adequately to the issue of N-E
students' security in national capital. It called upon all the chief ministers of Northeastern states to mount pressure on central government to take proper steps to prevent incidences of crime against N-E students, women in Delhi and NCR.
The NESO will observe December 15 as protest day in the region against the crimes committed against people from the North East in Delhi and will send a memorandum to the prime minister and the union home minister demanding immediate action.
The NESO has also demanded immediate repeal of the 'draconian' Armed Forces Special Powers Act in the region. "The Centre has sent an all-party delegation to J& K to examine the demand for repeal of AFSPA there in the wake of sustained violent protests by the people there. The people here have been democratically protesting against the continuation of the AFSPA , but the Centre has been ignoring it. Even a 10-year long fast by Irom Sanu Sharmila against the AFSPA has failed to elicit any response from the Centre, "the NESO leaders said.