The two young men from Nagaland who were brutally attacked in Gurgaon last month
Union minister Kiren Rijiju today said that the recent attack on two men from the North East in Gurgaon was unacceptable and the government will "never tolerate hate crime or anything that damages national integrity or unity".
"Government of India believes India is a democratic nation, such hate crimes will not be tolerated. Our society must not be intolerant, we must exist harmoniously together," Mr Rijiju said after meeting a group of Northeast students in Gurgaon.
"The government has decided that we'll establish a dedicated helpline and police force to deal with issues of students from Northeastern region," added My Rijiju, who also held a meeting with senior police officials. The minister added that if the helpline model is successful in Gurgaon, it will be replicated in other metro cities.
This comes two days after two men from the North East, both call centre workers, were beaten with cricket bats in the room they rent in Gurgaon near Delhi. They said the gang that attacked them shouted racial slurs at them.
Awang and Chester, both in their 20s, say a group of at least seven people burst into their room at midnight and hit them repeatedly with cricket bats and sticks till 3 am. Chester says he was pinned down while his head was shaved by the gang.
Hate attacks against people from the North East have been occurring with alarming frequency in Delhi. Last month, two Manipuri students were attacked with a scissor, stones and iron rods by three people, two of them juveniles, when they objected to racist remarks against them.
The incident took place in Munirka area of south Delhi.