Home Ministry to include section on race-related violence in IPC
17 Feb 2015 11:38 PM GMT
It was learnt that Singh after being convinced by Committee’s suggestion, has decided to include a section on race-related violence and abuse in the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
While addressing the 68th Raising Day function of the Delhi Police on Monday, he said, “I would like to appeal to the Delhi Police to focus on providing security to people from the North Eastern Region (NER). The people from the NER should not feel alienated in the national capital.”
While elaborating more on a new law against “racial attack”, minister of state for Home, Kiren Rijiju, said, “Once the new Act will be implemented, it will makes people guilty for making racial gesture or act intended to insult a member of a particular group or of any race. They will be punished with a maximum of three-year jail sentence and a fine.”
Earlier, the Bezbaruah Committee had suggested the government to come out with a “separate law” in the midst of series of hate crimes, especially targeting people from northeastern states. However, the government has decided to make amendments in the existing law. “The law will not be specific to the people of northeast but will cover all in India,” Rijiju said.
India has laws to protect scheduled castes and tribes against “promotion of enmity between classes on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, caste or community.” The amended law will expand this protection to more people.
The proposal will be sent for inter-ministerial consultation before it comes up for approval in Parliament.
BJP’s “Vision Document” too says North-East Immigrants to be Protected and the text under this reads, “Special cells in all police stations and special 24-hour helpline numbers to be set up for the protection of the North-Eastern migrants. To safeguard the Students of NE origin, special guardianship will be arranged with local families for them.”
“Delhi has seen a spate of racial attacks targeted against the people from the North-East. In one incident last year, a student Nido Taniam died after he was badly beaten by shopkeepers at a market in central Delhi. Taniam’s death brought to fore the discrimination people from that part of the country face in a cosmopolitan city like Delhi. So it was felt necessary for such law in India,” MHA sources said.
While addressing the 68th Raising Day function of the Delhi Police on Monday, he said, “I would like to appeal to the Delhi Police to focus on providing security to people from the North Eastern Region (NER). The people from the NER should not feel alienated in the national capital.”
While elaborating more on a new law against “racial attack”, minister of state for Home, Kiren Rijiju, said, “Once the new Act will be implemented, it will makes people guilty for making racial gesture or act intended to insult a member of a particular group or of any race. They will be punished with a maximum of three-year jail sentence and a fine.”
Earlier, the Bezbaruah Committee had suggested the government to come out with a “separate law” in the midst of series of hate crimes, especially targeting people from northeastern states. However, the government has decided to make amendments in the existing law. “The law will not be specific to the people of northeast but will cover all in India,” Rijiju said.
India has laws to protect scheduled castes and tribes against “promotion of enmity between classes on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, caste or community.” The amended law will expand this protection to more people.
The proposal will be sent for inter-ministerial consultation before it comes up for approval in Parliament.
BJP’s “Vision Document” too says North-East Immigrants to be Protected and the text under this reads, “Special cells in all police stations and special 24-hour helpline numbers to be set up for the protection of the North-Eastern migrants. To safeguard the Students of NE origin, special guardianship will be arranged with local families for them.”
“Delhi has seen a spate of racial attacks targeted against the people from the North-East. In one incident last year, a student Nido Taniam died after he was badly beaten by shopkeepers at a market in central Delhi. Taniam’s death brought to fore the discrimination people from that part of the country face in a cosmopolitan city like Delhi. So it was felt necessary for such law in India,” MHA sources said.
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