Invitation
You are cordially invited to join us on the occasion to launch the"North East Support Centre & Helpline"

On 20 October 2007,
Press Club, 1, Rasina Road, New Delhi
3.30 –6.30 pm

Special Guests
Rev. Valsom Thampu - Principal, St. Stephen College,
Dr. John Dayal - Member, National Integration Council
Dr. Udit Raj - Chairman, All India Confederation of SC/ST Organizations
Mr. Pushpendra Kulshrestha - Secretary General, Press Club of India
Members of Parliament of North East India

Organized by
North East Support Centre & Helpline, New Delhi

Facilitated by
All India Christian Council, All India Catholic Union, United Christian Action, All India Confederation of SC/ST Organizations, and North East Student’s United Forum, Delhi

Programme Committee
9818314146 (Lansinglu), 9868157066 (Letlal), 9810554901 (Ambika), 9968291645 (Alana), 9868240809 (Achan), 9868184939 (Madhu), 9310688848 (Silkam) Email: nesupportcentre@gmail.com, www.nesupportcentre.blogspot.com

Aim and Objective of North East Support Centre & Helpline is to extend help and prevent discriminations and harassment to people from North East India and other tribal communities.

Not denied, only delayed

The Delhi Police register FIR against wannabe cops charged with molestation

Prawesh Lama

New Delhi, September 19, 2007 (Mid Day)

The Mukherjee Nagar police have finally registered an FIR against the candidates for recruiting to the Delhi police who had molested four girls in the Kingsway Camp area. The girls, all of them from the North-East, were on their way to attend a cultural program at the police community hall when the hoodlums, waiting to take their final exam on Sunday, dragged them out of rickshaws and sexually assaulted them.

Scared to go alone

Talking to MiD DAY, one of the victims said, “Yesterday I got a call from the SHO that the police had finally registered an FIR and they wanted us to collect a copy of it. I did not want to go to the police stat alone so I did not go on Monday. However a lady constable from the Mukherjee Nagar police station called me up on Tuesday and told me that she would hand me the FIR. I am glad that they have at least registered a case against those men.”

Serious Hope?

Lucky Mugheto, chairman, North-East Community said, “I am glad that the FIR has been registered now. At least the police will take up the case seriously and arrest the accused.”

On Monday, Mid DAY had reported that four girls who were on their way to attend the North-East cultural festival were molested by the examinees on Saturday.

It’s official now

A senior police officer from the Mukherjee Nagar police station confirmed that the FIR had been registered against the accused. He said, “Yesterday in the evening, we changed their complaint into an FIR. The accused have been booked under section 354 of the Indian Penal Code. We have even told them that we will personally deliver the FIR at their residence if they cannot come here. Though it is difficult to identify the culprit but we are investigating the case from all angles. A lady inspector has been made the investigating officer.”

Not the only case

According to the police officers there were quite a few cases of eve teasing and molestation in the area that day. “The police will now beef up the security in the area. They will keep an eye in the miscreants of that area. We had received order from our officers that the area should be monitored and such incidents should be avoided.

MiD DAY tried to get in touch with Manish Agarwal (DCP (North-West), but he could not be contacted despite repeated attempt as his cell phone was switched off.

College girls ‘molested’

New Delhi: September 17, 2007 (TOI)

Four DU students, hailing from Manipur, have alleged that some unidentified men molested them on Saturday night while they were going to attend a freshers’s party at North Campus. The students alleged that the accused persons were appearing for recruitment of Delhi Police’s constable at Kingsway Camp.

Police said they have not received any complaints and denied knowledge of any such incident. However, the students, while speaking to Times of India said that they have approached Mukherjee Nagar police station but no action has been taken on their complaint.

A victim said: “When we reached near Kingsway Camp bus stand, some men standing on the road started passing lewd comments and later tried to pull my shirt. When I protested, some other people joined them and all of them started molesting me.”

Another victim said, “I was shocked to see such rude behavior from these men who continued harassing us. Later we managed to get out from the area and informed the plice.”

However, DCP (northwest) Manish Agarwal said: “We have not received any complaint and it any such thing comes to light we will definitely take action.”

North East Support Centre and Helpline

North East Support Centre and Helpline were initiated at a meeting at the New Delhi YMCA on September 5, 2007. It will be launched at a larger meeting of major North East and Tribal groups, perhaps on September 22, 2007. The exact date and venue will be informed later.

The concept of the Centre took shape at encounters that Dr. John Dayal, Member of the National Integration Council, Government of India, National President of the All India Catholic Union [founded 1919] and Secretary General of the All India Christian Council, had with youth, specially young women from the North Eastern States, including Sikkim, in various Malls, Coffee shops and Restaurants and in the major universities and colleges in New Delhi and neighbouring cities. They had many problems, but a major issue was sexual harassment at the workplace and the street, a sense of loneliness and the apathy of the police and other authorities.

A deeper study has shown the vulnerability of a newer generation of youthful workers and students from the North East. The smaller number of youth who came in the Seventies to Nineties were of educated persons coming for Graduate and postgraduate studies and for jobs in senior positions. The new generation of young people includes many who are not even school graduates. They live as paying guests, in informal hostel situations and in far flung areas where they are lonely with no traditional support structure.

Looking at the recent incidents of attempt rape in auto rickshaws and taxis, sexual harassment in Gurgaon Mall and rape in 2005, a need of a support centre and helpline has felt among many of the north easterners.

With this concern, Dr. Dayal along with Mr. Sangtam - Former Congress MP from Nagaland and Rev. Madhu Chandra - Regional Secretary of All India Christian Council and National Secretary of All India Confederation of SC/ST Organizations --met Commissioner of the Delhi Police, Mr. YS Dadwal, IPS and briefed him and his officers on the harassment meted out to the north east young men and women

The initial response to suggestions for a Support Centre has been very positive. SMS messages to Rev. Chandra show the range of support from officials, youngsters and students from north east India, studying and working in Delhi and NCR.

A Preliminary Meeting was called at YMCA Tourist Hostel, New Delhi on September 5, 2007 at 5:30 PM by Dr. John Dayal and Rev Chandra. Mr. Anil Chamadia - Dalit activist and Journalist, Rev. Letlal Haokip, Associate Pastor of Kuki Worship Service, Delhi; Mr. Ambika Hongsha, Secretary Paul Mission India, Ms. Lansinglu Rongmei, Supreme Court Lawyer and Legal Secretary of All India Christian Council, Dr. Achan Mungleng - Independent Researcher & Activist, Dr. Alana Golme participated.

An Ad hoc committee was setup with Ms. Lansinglu as President, Rev. Letlal as Secretary, Mr. Ambika Hongsha as Treasurer, Rev. Madhu Chandra & Anil Chamadia as Media Secretaries and Dr. John Dayal as a patron tougher with invitee patrons from among Members of Parliament and senior professionals from the North East. The present ad hoc committee with membership open for representation from all north eastern states will function as the core group. They have been authorised to get the North East Support Centre and Help Line registered with the government.

The Aims and objectives of North East Support Centre and Helplines include providing proactive assistance to the North East India communities studying, working and living in Delhi and NCR. It will, of course, also help anyone who seeks assistance, particularly young Tribal women from Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

The new initiative was immediately extended full support by All India Catholic Union, United Christian Forum, All India Christian Council and All India Confederation of SC/ST Organizations.

To meet the immediate need at the time of crisis, new initiative will setup the helpline network in different zonal of Delhi and NCR.

North East Support Centre
New Delhi
Email: nesupportcentre@gmail.com
http://www.nesupportcentre.blogspot.com/
9868184939

North East Support Centre First Initial Sitting

The first meet for setting up of North East Support Centre was held on the 5th of September, 2007 at YMCA, New Delhi.

It was decided in the meeting that the following persons be nominated as core committee members for the NE Support Centre. Membership for core committee is open for more to be added.


Dr. John Dayal – Member of National Integration Council (GOI), President of All India Catholic Union, General Secretary of All India Christian Council and President of United Christian Forum, Delhi.
Rev. M. Madhu Chandra – Regional Secretary of All India Christian Council and National Secretary of All India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations.
Rev. Letlal Haokip – Associate Pastor of Kuki Worship Service, Delhi
Mr.Ambika Hongsha – Secretary of Paul Mission India, New Delhi
Mr. Anil Chamadia – Dalit Activist and Jounalist, New Delhi
Ms. Lansinglu Rongmei – Supreme Court Lawyer and Legal Secretary of All India Christian Council

Dr. Alana Golmei


The Ad hoc committee members constituted with membership is open for more to be added.

1. President : Ms Lansinglu Rongmei
2. Secretary : Mr. Letlal Haokip
3. Treasurer : Mr. Ambika Hongsha
4. Media : Mr. Madhu Chandra & Mr. Anil Chamadia
5. Patron : Dr. John Dayal
6. Patron : Anil Chamadia

As per the discussion the members decided to have the next meeting with a larger group (representatives from the 8 states of the region) on 22 September, 2007 at Nagaland House.

Venue to be confirmed

Notes taken by Dr. Alana Golmei