CHANDIGARH—Ethnic attacks on North-East students in the recent past has attracted a lot of media attention. The government has taken it seriously. The Central Government has asked all the States and Union Territories to book anyone who committed an act of atrocity and against North-East. Taking note of the problem, the National Legal Service Authority has issued directions to all state legal authorities to take curative steps in the matter.
The State Legal Services Authority, Chandigarh has come up with a creative work around. It has adopted a multi-pronged strategy that includes sensitizing programmes and screening of film. To give a booster doze to its strategy, it has set up a legal services clinic at Panjab University, Chandigarh in the department of Human Rights and Duties. The Authority also encourages North-East students to become para legal volunteers to make them feel empowered and help those in distress.
While talking to Mr Lal Chand, Member Secretary, SLSA, Chandigarh said that many students from North-East States faced difficulty and discrimination even for accommodation. On the directions of the NLSA, the Authority has set up a legal aid clinic for these students at Panjab University with a goal of increasing awareness of prejudice and attacks against the students of north-east. The clinic would be manned by two students from North-East States and two local students would also be included in an effort to create congenial atmosphere and cordial relations between the locals and the North-East students.
He further stated that the clinic would work two days in a week—Wednesday and Saturday—when a legal aid lawyer of the Authority and a Para legal volunteer would provide legal services to them. Remaining days of the week, authority will stress on sensitize and awareness the students against ethnic attacks on North-East students, says he.
Mr Lal Chand has also revealed that a film produced by the Arunachal State Legal Services Authority “Apne Ajnabi” in first Phase, it would be screened in the Panjab University. The Authority has also planned to screen in various sectors of Chandigarh through its mobile van to sensitize the residents of the city of prejudice and discrimination against the students.
The Authority will prepared around 200 copies of this film and distribute in schools and colleges in Chandigarh. All heads of institutions will be asked to screen this film in their respective institution to aware the students about this problem. Films are more effective than lecturers, feels Mr Lal Chand.
Most of us think racism is only existed in the West but now time has come we examined our own attitudes towards racial discrimination.