Crimes against NE people will affect country’s integrity: Ibobi

Correspondent IMPHAL, OCTOBER 18 [dropcap]M[/dropcap]anipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh on Saturday expressed the need to hold a joint meeting with central authority and Chief Ministers and MPs of the North East region to safeguard the people of the region in other parts of the country. Chief Minister Ibobi was reacting to the frequent attack on NE people including the recent assault on Manipuri students in Bangalore and Naga students in Gurgaon, etc. Ibobi’s reaction came when media sought his comment on the sideline of attending an inaugural function of a conference of the Cardiological Society of India in Imphal on Saturday. Stating that he had held talks with the Union Home Minister (state) Kiren Rijiju over the recent incidents, Ibobi also admitted that the integrity of the country may be affected if such things continue in future.Informing that the state government is in touch with the concerned authorities to protect and safeguard the people from NE, he further opined that people of the region may alienate if such unwanted acts continues in future. Echoing a similar sentiment, Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam also admitted that the recent attacks on students of the region are discriminatory. He condemned the incidents. Similarly Manipur’s Lok Sabha MP Dr Thokchom Meinya has also strongly condemned the recent attacks on the NE people in the Metros of Bangalore and NCR of Delhi. Describing the recent incidents as acts of racial profiling and cowardice, MP Meinya urged the Union Government and Union Home and Law Ministries in particular for immediate legislation of an anti-racial law to effectively deal with such un-civilized acts. Vehemently condemning the recent incidents, Komrem Union, Manipur’s President Lalkhomang Serto appealed to NE Indians to start thinking twice before going to mainland India for jobs etc. “Instead let us start thinking to exploit our own available resources for our own sustainable livelihood with dignity without risking our lives in other regions”, he added in a condemnation note. Earlier Bharatiya Janata Party Manipur Pradesh had demanded immediate booking and punishment of the persons involved in the Bangalore incident.