[Amar Sangno]
DELHI, 7 Sep: In what appeared to be yet another racial attack, an Arunachali boy, identified as Hongmay Ngemu, a Class 12 student at the CSKM Public School, Chatterpur, South Delhi, was beaten up by a bystander without any provocation.
The incident reportedly occurred on 25 August in Kharak Rewada village in south Delhi, when Ngemu and his friend Edwin were roaming in the village during the school’s game hour. Ngemu is a native of Changlang district.
The incident came to light when a video clip of accused Neelu Pradhan knocking down Ngemu and continuously beating him without any provocation went viral. Ngemu sustained grievous injuries on his head, leg and arm, and had to have several stitches on his head.
“I came to know about the incident on 26 August. When we went to the Maidan Garhi police station, we were told that the case could not be registered without medical examination (of the victim),” Ngemu’s elder sister said.
She added that, when they went to the AIIMS for medical examination, “the medical authority refused to do MLC, stating that we should come with police since the matter was a police case.”
She informed that the medical process and their apprehensions over their own safety were the reasons for the delay in lodging an FIR.
The Maidan Garhi police station registered the FIR (u/s 308/34 IPC) 11 days after the incident.
Apparently, accused Neelu Pradhan and his friend Azar Khan uploaded the video clips of Pradhan mercilessly beating up the 19-year-old Ngemu to their Instagram accounts.
They later deactivated their accounts.
Sources in south Delhi police said that a complaint from the principal of the CSKM Public School regarding the beating of Ngemu by the two goons was received at the Maidan Garhi police station on 29 August.
“The principal and the family members of the victim were asked to get a medical examination done, but they refused to do it,” the police claimed, and added that the “DD entry was lodged but the complaint was kept pending.”
Joint Commissioner of Police of the Special Police Unit for North-East Region, PN Khrimey on Thursday visited CSKM School and interacted with the victim. It is learnt that the statement of the victim has been recorded.
The Delhi Police is yet to arrest culprit Neelu Pradhan.
In February 2014, 20-year-old Nido Tania, son of former Congress MLA Nido Pavitra, was beaten to death by several shopkeepers in Lajpat Nagar. Tania was assaulted on three separate locations with a stick and succumbed to his injuries the following day. His death had ignited a public debate on racism and the case was handed over to the CBI. Later four people were convicted in connection to Tania’s death.
