OVer doZen ne residenTs oF munirKa PrePare To leaVe
The situation for the NE residents in Munirka deteriorated after Nido Taniam died from an alleged hate attack by a group of traders in Lajpat Nagar in January.
Fear continued to be the common sentiment among the northeastern inhabitants of Munirka village in South Delhi, even as Munirka Resident Welfare Association denied issuing “diktats” on their eviction in a panchayat held here last Sunday.
Sources in the northeastern community confirmed that around 10 to 15 residents who are from the Northeast were expected to vacate their rented accomodations by 1 March. These residents are currently staying in two-three buildings in the interior of the village. Sources said that these residents have been asked to leave by their landlords privately after the panchayat took place.
“The village is not safe for us anymore. After that meeting, many people were asked to vacate the houses by the end of February or latest by 1 March. However, none of us can complain to the police or even talk about it publicly, for the fear of being pulled up by the landlords, who are part of the RWA,” said a northeastern resident, who works with a call centre and has been living in the area for the last eight years with his family.
According to sources in the community, the situation for the Northeast residents in the locality started to deteriorate after Nido Taniam, an Arunachal Pradesh student succumbed to injuries suffered after an alleged hate attack by a group of traders in Lajpat Nagar in January. The alleged rape of a teenaged Manipuri girl by a Munirka boy added fuel to the fire, said the sources.
Local sources from the village also confirmed that the “panchayat” comprising over 100 landlords was convened to discuss the rape of a 14-year-old girl in the village by her landlord’s son earlier this month.
“It is correct that the meeting was held to discuss issues related to tenants from Northeast in the area. RWA meetings take place every month, and are called ‘panchayat’ because it is presided over by the elderly in the village. But unlike other meet- ings, this did not include any tenants,” said Shekhar Tokas, a resident studying at JNU, who was present in the meeting. According to Tokas, no “diktats” were passed to evict tenants from the Northeast.
“It was decided to make it known to certain tenants to clean up their act. It was also decided to follow certain guidelines while admitting tenants in the future who would be made aware of the same,” he said.
When asked about the area’s security situation, a senior official at the Vasant Vihar police station said, “We have been holding regular meetings with the residents. We have assured all the Northeast residents that nobody can evict them from the area.”
From talking to residents belonging to both communities, it appears that a clash of cultures is certainly underway in the locality. The landlords and their northeastern tenants share a symbiotic relationship. The house owners are happy with the rent and the northeastern tenants employed in industries like outsourcing and hospitality are happy with the affordable housing. However, local residents say it is the “partying” that they are against. “They roam around drunk at night and pick fights,” said a local Munirka resident. However, a tenant from the Northeast said: “Who does not like to party on weekends? And keeping late hours means we need shops to be open at nights for necessities like spices, food and drink items etc.” The RWA members are also collecting funds to install CCTVs which they say will help keep tabs on criminal activities at 50100 locations in the village, which has 17 entry-points. However, the northeastern residents believe that the CCTV cameras are meant to interfere with their privacy.
“In the name of residents’ welfare, what they actually mean to do is keep a check on our activities,” said a northeastern resident.
Confirming the installation of CCTVs, a senior police official said, “It is a good step. The camera recording served as an important piece of evidence even in the rape case of the minor here.”