By Admin 
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi asked a question in the Lok Sabha regarding discrimination against people from north-eastern states. Gaurav Gogoi asked whether the government has taken cognizance of the incidents of hate speech, racial slurs, harassment and discrimination against people from north-eastern states in different parts of the country during the last 5 years. Does the government maintain data of complaints, FIRs lodged, cases investigated and action taken in such cases? Yes then what are the year and state wise details?
Also, what special steps have been taken to prevent such cases, timely register cases and provide protection and justice to the victims and whether the Government proposes to strengthen the existing legal, institutional or awareness mechanisms to deal with racial discrimination and promote social inclusion of the people of the North-Eastern region?
What did Minister of State Nityanand Rai say?
Answering the questions, Minister of State in the Home Ministry Nityanand Rai said that according to the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, ‘Police’ and ‘Public Order’ are state subjects. State governments are responsible for crime prevention, detection, registration, investigation and prosecution of criminals. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) publishes the ‘Crime in India’ report based on data received from states and union territories, which is available till the year 2023. Data related to hate speech, racial comments, harassment and discrimination against people from the north-eastern states is not maintained separately at the central level. However, under existing laws, there are provisions for action against hateful comments, gestures and racist acts.
Government’s work regarding the security of the people of North-Eastern region
The minister informed that the government has taken several steps to ensure the safety of the people of the north-eastern region, such as:
- Work of issuing advisories to states/union territories.
- Appointment of nodal officers for resolution of complaints.
- Sensitizing law enforcement agencies.
- Establishment of Special Police Unit (SPUNER) for North-Eastern Region in Delhi Police.
- Launching a special helpline number and email ID for registering complaints.
Chief Secretaries, Administrators and Directors General of Police (DGPs) of all States/Union Territories have also been instructed to sensitize police personnel in their respective states on this subject.
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