In the wake of recent attacks on people from the Northeast in the city, the Gurgaon Police on Tuesday launched a round-the-clock Northeast Helpline.
The helpline — 0124-2301559 — was launched by Gurgaon Police Commissioner Alok Mittal. He said the dedicated helpline will help in tackling matters related to the Northeastners better.
DCP East Nazneen Bhasin, who is Chief Nodal Office for Crime Against People from North-East, was also present on the occasion.
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In a recent attack, two young men from Nagaland were allegedly beaten up by over a dozen people at Sikanderpur village here on October 16. Earlier, Soizamuam, 39, and a cab driver, was attacked by two brothers who were his neighbours in Nathupur on July 28.
The demand for a dedicated helpline for Northeastners attended by an English-speaking policeman has been one of their long-standing demands. “The language barrier between us and the police is greater in Gurgaon with the constabulary preferring to speak in local dialect, unlike Delhi where they speak in Hindi or English. It led to greater communication gap. It caused difficulty in seeking help from the Control Room in emergency situations,” said Edward Zou, an executive member of the North-East Support Centre and Helpline in Gurgaon.
The police had always maintained that a separate helpline was not a viable option as the Northeastners were few in number to which they had demanded that a police post could be set up at the Sikanderpur metro station.
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The Northeastners also feel the need for sensitisation programmes for the police force at regular intervals.
Staying on rent mostly in Nathupur, Chakkarpur and Sikanderpur villages, there are around 3,000 Northeastners working in call centres and retail and hospitality sectors. Though their population is quite less compared to neighbouring Delhi, the nature of problems faced is the same.