)
Rahul Gandhi today put forth some pointed questions to Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde about the "delay" in police action relating to the death of Arunachal Pradesh student Nido Taniam after being allegedly beaten by some shopkeepers in Lajpat Nagar.
Shinde was called this morning to a meeting Gandhi held with MPs from North East at his residence in the backdrop of outrage over the death of 19-year-old Tania.
At the meeting, the MPs also made a strong pitch for an anti-racism law in the country as they complained that students and residents from North Eastern states have to frequently face racial slurs and discrimination not only in the national capital but in other states of the country as well.
Agreeing with the complaints of the MPs about racial discrimination with North Eastern people, Gandhi also talked about discrimination with people from other states as well in some places and appeared to favour a strong framework to prevent such things, sources said.
Gandhi wanted to know how the police acted in the matter and Shinde made a detailed briefing about the circumstances surrounding the "delay" in police action in registering the FIR and arresting the persons in connection with the incident, the sources said.
In the meeting, Shinde is learnt to have explained to Gandhi that the locational differences of places under which the scuffle took place, the boy stayed at night and he was admitted in the hospital fell under the jurisdiction of different police stations and that took some time, the sources said.
As Gandhi sought the views of the MPs to take corrective measures, they complained the police are many times not sensitive to complaints of NE people about racial harassment and demanded more teeth to existing 24x7 helpline for North Eastern people.
They said the helpline should be given more manpower and officers so that they can directy contact the Bhavans (State Government Houses) of North Eastern states.
