Indian Prime Minister promises effective
protection to people from the North East
New Delhi, February 4 (PTI) Strongly condemning the killing of a student from Arunachal Pradesh here, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today promised punishment to the guilty and effective protection to people from the North East and other parts of the country in the national capital.
Observing that “human values, amity in society, and the unity and integrity” are at stake, he said all citizens should work together to ensure that “our brothers and sisters from the North East” feel safe and secure in Delhi.
“The attack on Nido Taniam, the student from Arunachal Pradesh, is most condemnable,” Singh said in a statement while commenting on the death of the Arunachal Pradesh MLA’s 19- year-old son last week after he was allegedly beaten up by some shopkeepers following an altercation sparked by their taunts on his hairstyle.
He said while the actual cause of Nido’s death will be known only after the autopsy report is received, “the violence which preceded his demise is tragic and shameful”. The Prime Minister said his government will make “every possible effort to punish the guilty and to provide effective protection to students and citizens from other parts of the country, especially the North East, who visit or reside in Delhi.”
Singh noted that all political parties in Parliament have affirmed that every Indian should ensure that fellow citizens from the North East feel safe and that every part of the country welcomes them. “What is at stake is human values, amity in society, and the unity and integrity of the country,” he observed. “New Delhi is the national capital and a diverse and vibrant city, enriched by people from all over the country who have made it their home.
“People from other parts of the country like the North East are as much a part of the city as anyone else. All citizens need to work together to ensure that our brothers and sisters from the North East feel safe and secure in Delhi,” he said.
Three sent to jail over killing
New Delhi, February 4 (IANS): A court here Tuesday sent three people, arrested in connection with the death of a student from Arunachal Pradesh, to judicial custody till Feb 18. Two of the accused said they were “innocent witnesses” who were “illegally roped in as accused”.
Metropolitan Magistrate Pawan Kumar remanded Sunder Singh, Pawan Farmania and Farman to judicial custody till Feb 18.
Nido Tania, the 19-year-old student, was beaten up by shopkeepers in south Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar area following a quarrel over his appearance and clothing. He died in a hospital Jan 30.
The three accused have been booked under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The court listed the matter for bail hearing Feb 6 and instructed police to conduct a test identification parade of the accused on the same day.
During investigation, six people, out of whom two are juveniles, were found to be involved in the case, police said Monday. Police told the magistrate that they have not added murder charges against the accused. It will be done on the basis of the post-mortem report. The final post-mortem report from the medical board at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is awaited.
A murder case was lodged over Tania’s death and a special investigation team constituted under the direct supervision of the deputy commissioner of police, southeast Delhi.
Meanwhile, two of the accused told the court that they were witnesses in the incident. “We are witness in the case but police implicated us,” said advocate Shalabh Gupta, counsel of Sunder Singh and Pawan Farmania.
The advocate requested the court to grant bail to his clients, saying they will not tamper with the evidence. “It is a matter of grave concern that innocent witnesses have been harassed and illegally roped in as accused,” he said. Relatives of the two accused also said they were innocent and asked the magistrate for justice to Singh and Farmania. “No one will come forward to become witnesses in a case if police falsely implicates people like this,” said a relative of one of the duo.
