New Delhi, October 22: The same night after North East Support Centre and Helpline was officially launched at the Press Club of India with the main objective of taking up measures to prevent harassment and abuse meted out to students and young people from North East in the National capital, a tribal girl aged 21 years old from Manipur was sexually assaulted by a tenant at around 12.30 am on Oct 21.Instead of protecting the victim, the landlord forced the victim's cousin and other students from North East living in the rented house to vacate the rooms without giving any notice.

The incident happened when she along with her cousin sister went to visit their cousin brother who lives in a rented room in Mahilpalpur.

The victim's report to the North East Support Centre and Helpline said, 'When my cousin sister went to the bathroom outside the room, I was waiting outside for her, a tenant claimed to be police man started taking picture of me and molested me'.

When she screamed, her cousin brother and other tenants came out to rescue her.

But they were also abused by the man in front of other residents.

Next day, the landlord, instead of protecting the victim forced three students from Manipur living in the rented rooms of the same building to vacate the house immediately without any prior notice.

Students sought shelter with their friends living nearby after they were pushed out by the landlord.

The Fact Finding Team consisting of Supreme Court Lawyer Langsinglu Rongmei, All India Christian Council's Regional secretary Rev Madhu Chandra, Journalist Lemyai Shimray, Peace Campaign Activist Dr Alana Golmei and Mandali Devi rushed to the sport and gave trauma counselling to the victim and lodged a complaint with Vasanj Kunj Police Station.

At first the Duty Officer Nalka Ram refused to entertain the complaint, However, after waiting for two and half hours, the application was endorsed under the instruction of the Station House Officer of the Police Station Rajesh Kumar and First Information Report was registered under appropriate sections of IPC and SC/ST Atrocity Prevention Act, 1995.Girls from North East India have suffered sexual abuses at work places, colleges, rented houses, roads and market places in recent time.

In 2005, a girl was raped in a moving car, Another girl was molested by a manager of a Mall in Gurgoan last year and in last September, two girls were assaulted in Delhi University campus of which duty officer of the Police Station refused to take their complaint.

North East Support Centre and Helpline (nesupportcentre.blogspot.com) is a combined initiative of various human rights activists, social workers, students, journalists and lawyers seeking to prevent harassment and buses meted out to North East people and tribal communities of other States.

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