Report
Community Dialogue for Better Understanding Issues Facing Citizens from North East India Held in Delhi
Time & Venue: 5.00pm – 7.00pm 12th May 2014,
Air NCC Hall, Humayunpur, Safdarjang Enclave, Delhi -110029
Participants at Community Dialogue, Air NCC Hall, Humayunpur, Sadarjang Enclave, Delhi
12 May 2014: A community meeting was organized by Northeast India Forum Against Racism (NEIFAR) in collaboration with Aman Biradari Organization and Delhi Police on title name as “Community Dialogue for Better Understanding Issues Facing Citizens from North East India” at Air NCC Hall, Humayunpur, Safdurjung Enclave, Delhi.
The scope of this meeting was to bring and highlight the issues being faced by Northeast residence living in Safdarjung Enclave and nearby villages namely Arjun Nagar, Krishna Nagar and Humayunpur. The broader aspect of this community dialogue was to bring both local residence and northeast residence together to discuss and explore various ways to short out the issues which being faced by northeast tenants.
Since this was the first community dialogue between both the community and Northeast resident to develop the relation and various confusions due to distinct ethnic and cultural values of the Northeast community. For purpose of more clarification about ethnicity of Northeast India, it was useful to hold these kinds of dialogue which bring sufficient methodologies to inculcate the demographic feature and culture of Northeast India.
This dialogue was called for better understanding through healthy discussion towards building up strong social organization. Certain grievances were not being adjudicated by Govt. and law enforcing agencies. Since the dialogue had sufficient capacity and media coverage to bring the issues to the attention of police as well as Government, element of this dialogue is a collective outcome of an appropriate discussion between young people and elderly people of both communities, Around 90 people attended the community dialogue.
Most of the highlighted issues were ill treatment by landlords to their tenants as well as discomfort and social insecurity among the tenants of Northeast residence, racial attacks on Northeast people. Secondly, the point of discussion raised by the local people was more focus on the attire and questioning the sense of dressing on the basis of their cultural values.
Some of the points discussed are as follows:
Ø The program was chaired by Mr. Harsh Mander, Director of Centre for Equity studies. He spoke about the importance of this meeting and receiving people open heartedly irrespective of their region and race.
Ø Delhi Police personals attended the meeting and cited the example of hatred by local people towards people from Andaman & Nicobar living in Delhi due to their eating habits but these issues were resolved by mutual discussion and respect for each other’s cultural values.
Ø Delhi Police felt that the solution lay in the Northeastern people treating their rented homes as their own homes and living in it as they would in their own homes. Also, landlords and tenants should try to solve the problem like guardian and children instead of exaggerating the issue.
Ø Ms. Binalakshmi Nepram, Writer & Social Activist stressed on why people from Northeast region come to Delhi? She said 60% of Northeast people live in Delhi for better education and employment opportunities. Their own homeland has more than 72 armed groups which makes the region full of conflict zone. As per the law of land every citizen of this country has right to travel and settle anywhere in India and have normal life.
Ø People from Northeast residing in Delhi also brought up a point that stereotype are abundant in Humayunpur locality concerning which is utmost concern for Northeastern people. Prior to hiring a rent in the local area the list of Do’s and Don’ts being dictated by landlords which is wrong perception to judge a person by his/ her appearance at instant were also highlighted.
Ø The localites however complained that most of the Northeastern starts partying after mid-night often the parties extend to public area even if they are being told that this will be taken vary offensively.
Ø Mr. Harsh Mander pointed out that if certain rules are made for tenants then that should be uniform in application and not pertaining to only certain group. So there should be more tolerance and acceptance from both the sides.
Ø Mr. David Boyes, Convener of NEIFAR reiterated the point that landlord and tenants have to solve their problems based on situation by situation and not one the basis of ethnicity or race of the tenants. He also appealed to the Northeastern people to be responsible as a member of community or else it will defame the entire community.
Ø Prof. Tiplut Nongbri, Jawaharlal Nehru University, residing in North Delhi for 42 years, cited her personal experience of co-operation between Northeastern and local people until the recent times when problems started cropping up. In her opinion, it is very important to educate children with good moral values.
Ø Dr Alana Golmei, Founding Member & General Secretary, North East Support Centre & Helpline, retorted against the remark regarding the accusation that Northeast youth wear short clothes by stating that no specific community wears short clothes as it is across communities we see youths wearing short clothes. So thus Northeast youth should not be particularly targeted. She also stated, communities should focus on important issues rather than get caught up in trivial differences.
Ø In the final concluding comment, Mrs. Barkha Singh, Chairperson of Delhi Women Commission stressed on the importance of unity and brotherhood among fellows’ citizens of the country and not to divide them by region. She also called for setting up a committee with members of locality as well as people from Northeast to monitor such issue which would help in bridging the gap between people of Delhi and Northeast people.
The meeting was held along with the presence of certain renowned persons from Delhi and other several Northeast dignitaries-
Felicita Shongvah, Board Chairman Tangkhul Women’s League; Sandeep Lambe, ACP SHO Safdarjung Enclave, Delhi Ploice; Anant Kr. Gunjan, Inspector Addl. SHO Safdarjung Enclave, Delhi Police, as well as local landlords namely Kapil Phogaat, Jaideep Phogaat, Hari Singh, Ashok Phogaat etc. and some policemen from Delhi Police attended the dialogue.
At the end both the communities were agreed to support and understand each other through interaction and the gap which had been created due to misunderstanding. It was a joint effort by NEIFAR, Aman Biradari and Delhi police. The event was covered by various media group; we are looking forward to hold such community dialogue in various localities in Delhi for generating healthy atmosphere and better understanding among localities and Northeast residents.
Media coverage:
The Asian Age, Wednesday May 14, 2014:
The first community dialogue for better understanding issues faced by north-eastern residents in Delhi took place on Monday at Humayunpur, Safdarjung Enclave. The north-eastern residents have complained that their neighbours have installed cameras in front of their houses, which is interfering with their privacy. The Northeast residents of Delhi were accused of wearing short clothes, drinking and dancing till late night by their neighbours in the three urban villages of Safdarjung area. Read more
Dainikbhaskar, May 13, 2014: नईदिल्ली। दिल्लीमेंनॉर्थईस्टकेलोगोंकेसाथपिछलेकईदिनोंसेलगातारसामनेआरहीनस्लीयभेदभावकेमामलोंकेबाददिल्लीकेदोएनजीओनेएकसामुदायिकवार्ताकाआयोजनकिया।वार्ताकाउद्देश्यदोनोंसमुदायकेबीचएकबेहतरसमझबनानाथा।Read more
TNT, May 13th, 2014:
A Community Dialogue “For Better Understanding Issue Facing Citizens From Northeast India” was held on Monday evening here in Safdarjung Enclave and it may also be noted that this was held for first time in the national capital. The aim for this meet was to bring forth all the issues and problems that are related to all citizens hailing from North East India. –Read more:
For more information, please contact:
Mr David Boyes, Convener NEIFAR
Mob: +91 9953685279
E-mail: [email protected]
Mr. Harsh Mander, Director, Centre for Equity Studies
E-mail: [email protected]
