New Delhi, March 5 (IANS) The Delhi High Court Wednesday directed the city police to sensitise its 83,000 police personnel about the problems faced by people from the northeast.
“You (police) know what the people from northeast are referred here, or from the south for that matter? Forget about the people, you are not sensitised. Look at the manner they (north eastern people) are treated by the police itself,” said a division bench of Acting Chief Justice B.D. Ahmed and Justice Siddharth Mridul asking Delhi Police commissioner to direct all DCPs to sensitise police personnel.
The court also said there are two ways to change the mindset of people. “We need to change the mindset of people which can be changed in two ways — one by rehabilitation, which takes time and second is by fear. Fear from being caught, prosecuted and to go to jail. After all, it is the people who are committing these crimes,” said the bench.
It also said Delhi does not belong to anyone in particular but belongs to everyone like every part of country. “Nobody can claim any title over any territory on the basis of caste, creed, region or religion,” said the court.
It also asked Delhi Police to file a status report giving details of actions taken by them on 47 complaints received from people from the northeast on the helpline number 1093 launched by the police sometime back.
The court was hearing a case where it took suo motu cognisance of an incident where Nido Tania, son of Arunachal Pradesh Congress legislator Nido Pavitra, was allegedly beaten up by shopkeepers Jan 29 in south Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar market following a row over his appearance and clothing. He died in a hospital the next day.
The bench also asked the central government to apprise the court on the status of its proposed move to seek policemen working in northeastern states to be posted on deputation with Delhi Police.
The bench also said it does not want to encourage a trend where people belonging to a particular group will live in one colony.
The court would next hear the matter March 26.