Not lifestyle but mindset makes them vulnerable

Barely has the dust settled on the horrifying incident where one Manipur girl was done to death in her own compartment in Munirka last year, the community was in for another shock as another was molested, that too in the same locality - Munirka. Luckily the girl fought back with the culprit and was able to free herself from the perpetrator.
Even though it might look 'another stray incident' of violence against women, it also reciprocates the effectiveness on the part of Delhi police who have claimed that it has taken various initiative/schemes to control crime against women especially from the North-East states, ranging from help line number, community meeting after every two months and forth.
While generalisation of crime against Northeast girls cannot be entirely truth, certain individuals and community leaders from the region have now started asking the basic reasons why these girls are being singularly targeted by local people.
Is this because of the look which is different from "others"? Is this because of the fact that they have certain lifestyles, which are not suited with the local people or is it because of the food habit or culture or whatever that offend the surrounding people? Although none of these questions are not entirely true, the real problem lies with the perceptions what you think and how you react. When the Hollywood culture or the Bollywood or say the western culture are intruding to all our day today lifestyles, traditions, there is little amount of thinking and consciousness that what is right or wrong. From three-year-old child to seventy years old person, everybody wants new outfits or taste new things.
According to a data released by the National Crime Records Bureau, there are 32,000 murders, 19,000 rapes, 7,500 dowry deaths and 36,500 molestation cases reported in India in 2006 against women. There are many instances of crime especially against women go unreported in India. While Madhya Pradesh is worst off among the states, the national capital New Delhi continues to hold on to its reputation of being the most unsafe city in India. Delhi takes the top slot for crimes ranging from murders and rapes to dowry deaths and abductions.
For instance while the national crime rate declined negligibly by .02 per cent in 2006; Delhi's rate grew to 357.2 more than double the national average of 167.7. Rape is the fastest growing crime in the country today and as many as 18 women are assaulted in some form or the other every hour across India.
In a conversation with Madhu Chandra, general secretary of the North-East Support Centre, says that nearly half the number of women sexually harassed in Delhi and its neighbourhood is from the North-East. He says that the Centre is "flooded with complaints related to sexual harassment, adding that most of the complaints are coming from innocent girls. From last two years about 50 complains have been made to the various police stations in the city, but nearly ninety per cent of the cases are not properly taken/handle by the concern authorities, he alleges.
He further reveals that a survey conducted by the Centre and Helpline 86 per cent (or about 86,000) people hailing from the region and living in Delhi face some sort of discrimination or the other "on a daily basis."
Rejecting the claim that north-east girls are scantly dressed and that is one reason they have been singled out for molestation, Chandra said that when so many young girls and young boys are sitting in Lodhi Garden, Nehru Park in a very compromising position and nobody talks about this. Then why they feel tempting or attracted to northeast girls and not to those girls sitting in those parks everyday.
He says that most of the girls are looking cheap in the eyes of the local people, who they think everything can do, which is why there are reports of landlord molesting girls in Gurgaon. He also asks Delhi Police to be more astringent in dealing with the crimes, even though there are certain signs of improving in their activities. Also, he says, there is no dedicated helpline numbers, even though the Delhi Government had promised for it earlier.
Sensing that there are two basic reasons why northeast girls are in most of the times landed on the wrong people, Luikang Lamak, president, Naga Students Union, Delhi, says these are because of their look and innocent. Also because that they do not have the fortitude to fight back, which is why they are always vulnerable, he adds.
On the dress code, he vehemently rejects and says that Delhi is after all a multi-cultural society, where every section of the society from across the world settles here. How can it point out to particular community, he asks. If it is the idea which attract girls from the North-East, this should be more accountable from other communities, he demands.
Talking about the police initiatives, he says that Delhi Police's new scheme to interact with the students' community from the region every two months is a good idea, which has a lot of impacts. But also he particularly praises DCP, Sagar Preet Hooda of North range, for his excellent working approaches to the students.
But unfortunately, he says that, there is still no dedicated helpline number, even though the Delhi Police have earlier promised to start. The so-called dedicated numbers are all already existing ones. Also there is no formal announcement from the department, he laments.