Bezbaruah Committee Recommendations
The M P Bezbaruah Committee, set up to look into problems faced by people from Northeast states in other parts of the country, has recommended reaching out to victims of racial violence from the Northeast through social media and constituting fast track courts for speedy redressal of complaints, in its 82-page report submitted to the Delhi High Court on Wednesday.
The report also identifies “vulnerable” areas in the city, where legal awareness campaigns need to be undertaken “immediately”.
The 11-member committee, set up in February this year, has divided its recommendations into Immediate (to be implemented within a period of 6 months to 1 year), Short term (1 to 1.5 years) and Long term (1.5 to 3 years).
Among the measures, the report says, that need to be implemented immediately is having a dedicated Facebook page and WhatsApp connectivity as well as constituting a panel of lawyers — 50 per cent of them women — to provide legal assistance and consultation to Northeast people through phones, emails and social media. Lawyers from Northeast states practicing in Delhi, the report says, may be given preference.
Legal awareness campaigns in “vulnerable” areas like Munirka, Safdarjung Enclave, Janakpuri, Kotla Mubarakpur, Malviya Nagar, Mukherjee Nagar, Gandhi Vihar, Chirag Delhi and Gurgaon, and lectures on legal rights “during freshers’ meet” at Delhi University, JNU and Jamia Milia Islamia University have also been suggested.
The report further recommends assigning the North East Special Police Unit (NESPU) the power of a police station and designating one or two police stations as ‘North east Nodal police stations’, so that the officers-in-charge may register the cases immediately instead of “routing” it through other officers of area “jurisdiction”.
The Central Forensics Science Laboratory has also been advised to expedite reports in cases related to Northeast people.
“Specially designated public prosecutors, properly trained and sensitised, should be appointed for cases involving people from Northeast. Relief Corpus Funds for helping heinous crime victims, (meeting) expenses for body disposal, (travelling) from Northeast states to Delhi for court hearings (should be set up),” the report says.
Recognising the “bonding power of sports”, the committee has recommended the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to hold “regular national/international events” in the Northeast to create “harmony and better understanding” among people. It has also asked for one facility to be created in every state for cricket, football, tennis etc and for promoting indigenous games of Northeast.
The committee said the present residential facility created by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region at Jasola is “underutilised” and can address the accommodation problem faced by Northeast people. (Indian Express)
