Recently, a group of students from the Northeast were duped at Anand Vihar bus stand in New Delhi by a group of people and were forced to pay more for travelling to Nainital. Those people tricked the students because they thought of them as “others”.
In a similar incident, Delhi University law student Niyang Pertin from Arunachal Pradesh was discriminated against at Delhi’s Jama Masjid as she and her friends were asked to pay Rs 300 to carry their phones inside, while others were allowed to go in without any charge. She uploaded a video on Twitter narrating the whole incident.
Despite Home Ministry taking various steps to stop discriminations against the North-East people this still happened! I will follow it up. pic.twitter.com/0RASlw797T
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) November 1, 2016
“I and my friends were particularly targeted and asked to pay Rs 300 each to take mobile phones inside the premises of Jama Masjid. When we asked as to why only we are being charged, we were told to mind our own business,” Niyang said.
The video was shared by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, who said he’ll personally follow the matter. “Despite Home Ministry taking various steps to stop discriminations against the North-East people this still happened! I will follow it up,” he tweeted.
A disappointed Pertin asked, in the video, why does she always have to wear her identity of being an Indian on her sleeve.
“Being a member of Northeast India, unfortunately, I always have to prove my nationality. Even if I visit a national museum, park or a site, I need to show my identity card to ensure that I am Indian and not an outsider. I don’t know when a time will come when we will not be asked to prove our nationality and accepted as an Indian,” she said.
Watch video here.
