Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said here today that the Centre would move amendments to the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) during the budget session, to deal more sternly with racial attacks against people from North Eastern India.
"The law is not elaborate on racial attacks. We felt there is no need to make a new law, but existing laws should be amended to include some words and phrases to check racial attacks," Rijiju told reporters on the sidelines of an event here.
When reporters asked him about a timeline, he exuded confidence that amendments would be moved during the Budget Session of the Parliament, which begins in February 2015.
Rijiju said that on January 2, the Centre would issue an advisory to deal sensitively with people from North Eastern India, which would be sent to all ministries including Home Affairs, Tourism, HRD as well as sports ministry.
He said that the advisory would ask police in metros to deal sensitively with people from North Eastern India and urge state home departments to recruit talented people from North Eastern India to the police force.
The advisory would also ask the Union HRD ministry to include literature from North Eastern India in the educational syllabus, Rijiju said, adding that similar requests would be made to other ministries as well.
The Centre is also working on a new comprehensive policy to promote tourism in North Eastern India, he said, though he declined to give details.
Answering a question on yesterday's Bengaluru blast, Rijiju said that Karnataka state police is investigating the matter and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) could take over the probe if necessary.
"The Karnataka state police is investigating at present. If necessary, the NIA will take over. If need be, we can take over, but right now, we are waiting for the police investigation," he said.
