Naga lawyers unite against ‘Profiling’
New Delhi, June 24 (Agencies): The Naga Lawyers’ Guild, Delhi, has served a legal notice to the management of a lounge bar in GK-1 for allegedly refusing entry to a Naga woman photographer because she did not have the “right profile”. The notice has categorised this incident as a “willful and deliberate discrimination on the basis of caste, sex, creed and region”. The notice also says the management of the bar — Urban Pind — asked the woman to reveal her nationality. “When told she was an Indian from the North-East, she was bluntly refused entry,” the notice reads.
Bar owner Kashif Farooq, however, said he was yet to receive any legal notice. He denied the charges against the management saying, “Profiling is based on dress and behaviour and not region”. He said on Thursdays — the incident took place last Thursday — are ‘expat nights’, evenings for foreigners working in India. Farooq said, “Over 200 people were turned away because of this last week.” He added: “We have six employees from the North-East.”
The photographer was to meet two friends — a South Indian publisher and a German employee of a development bank — at Urban Pind. “I was stopped at the gate because I did not have a good profile,” she said. Her advocate, K Enatoli Sema of the Naga Lawyers’ Guild, said the manager, Tahil, turned her away after being “told that she was from the North-East”. The photographer added she was stopped at the gate, while others — not all foreigners — were let in.
The photographer also said she was dressed sensibly in trousers, a top and scarf. She added, “It was deeply embarrassing, since the place was crowded. Finally, my publisher friend called up another friend who happened to know the owner and I was allowed in. But by then, I had been humiliated enough and decided to leave.”
The legal notice reads: “She was told by the manager that it was ‘policy’ not to allow entry to people who weren’t of the ‘right profile’. Asked why other women, including Oriental women of other nationalities, were being allowed entry... the manager said... it was the ‘policy’ laid down by the general manager.” Sema alleges there has been another instance of a Naga man being denied entry to the same lounge bar.
The photographer, who has lived in Delhi for 10 years, said: “When such discrimination happens, and it happens very often, we are forced to step back from the mainstream.” Stephen Yanthan, president of the Naga Lawyers’ Guild, has said they will take legal steps unless the lounge bar apologises.
‘Such discrimination cannot be tolerated’
Morung Express News
Dimapur | June 24
The lawyer representing the discriminated Naga photographer, Advocate Enatoli today asserted that such kind of blatant discrimination against innocent persons cannot be tolerated since everyone is entitled to basic Human Rights and dignity. Besides, discrimination infringes on the Fundamental Rights of a human being to live with dignity as enshrined in the Indian Constitution.
Speaking with The Morung Express from Delhi this evening, Advocate Enatoli said that the Naga Lawyers Guild has specified a one-week time to the lounge bar to tender an unconditional apology and publish it in the Media. It must also declare that the lounge will not have such a ‘policy’ she said.
However, Enatoli disclosed that the management of the bar have told journalists in Delhi that it will not tender an apology since nothing ‘wrong’ was committed. Enatoli said if the bar refuses to tender an apology then the matter will be fought in the court and even take up the matter with the National human Rights Commission and the National Minorities Commission.
Enatoli also disclosed that the national news channel, NDTV is doing a story on the matter which will be telecast on Wednesday on its regular feature, ‘Verdict’ in which the opinions of some concerned Naga people in Delhi are to be featured.
The Naga Lawyers Guild is a group formed by a group of advocates with the objective of representing the people of northeast and the Nagas in particular and also the public during times of need, Enatoli informed.
An editor of a publishing house, who is a south Indian lady was with the victim on that night. Requesting not to be named, she categorically termed the whole incident as “the worst kind of discrimination” and said to have been devastated that such an incident would happen in a nation that claims to be the world’s largest democracy.
Confessing that she has a lot of friend from the northeast region, the Editor said that she was angry Thursday night when her friend was not allowed into the lounge bar because she did not have the “right profile”. The Editor lamented that when the northeast is being tried to be integrated into the country, such kind of incident would alienate them more.
Advocate Enatoli Sema, representing the victim, disclosed that the Editor was the one who took a lot of initiative in motivating Naga Lawyers Guild to take up the matter, and at the same time acknowledged the role played by the Editor of the publishing house in rendering support to the people of northeast in the capital.
It may be noted, that discrimination of people from remote northeaster region in mainland India, especially Delhi has been a regular feature for the past many years.
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Bar owner Kashif Farooq, however, said he was yet to receive any legal notice. He denied the charges against the management saying, “Profiling is based on dress and behaviour and not region”. He said on Thursdays — the incident took place last Thursday — are ‘expat nights’, evenings for foreigners working in India. Farooq said, “Over 200 people were turned away because of this last week.” He added: “We have six employees from the North-East.”
The photographer was to meet two friends — a South Indian publisher and a German employee of a development bank — at Urban Pind. “I was stopped at the gate because I did not have a good profile,” she said. Her advocate, K Enatoli Sema of the Naga Lawyers’ Guild, said the manager, Tahil, turned her away after being “told that she was from the North-East”. The photographer added she was stopped at the gate, while others — not all foreigners — were let in.
The photographer also said she was dressed sensibly in trousers, a top and scarf. She added, “It was deeply embarrassing, since the place was crowded. Finally, my publisher friend called up another friend who happened to know the owner and I was allowed in. But by then, I had been humiliated enough and decided to leave.”
The legal notice reads: “She was told by the manager that it was ‘policy’ not to allow entry to people who weren’t of the ‘right profile’. Asked why other women, including Oriental women of other nationalities, were being allowed entry... the manager said... it was the ‘policy’ laid down by the general manager.” Sema alleges there has been another instance of a Naga man being denied entry to the same lounge bar.
The photographer, who has lived in Delhi for 10 years, said: “When such discrimination happens, and it happens very often, we are forced to step back from the mainstream.” Stephen Yanthan, president of the Naga Lawyers’ Guild, has said they will take legal steps unless the lounge bar apologises.
‘Such discrimination cannot be tolerated’
Morung Express News
Dimapur | June 24
The lawyer representing the discriminated Naga photographer, Advocate Enatoli today asserted that such kind of blatant discrimination against innocent persons cannot be tolerated since everyone is entitled to basic Human Rights and dignity. Besides, discrimination infringes on the Fundamental Rights of a human being to live with dignity as enshrined in the Indian Constitution.
Speaking with The Morung Express from Delhi this evening, Advocate Enatoli said that the Naga Lawyers Guild has specified a one-week time to the lounge bar to tender an unconditional apology and publish it in the Media. It must also declare that the lounge will not have such a ‘policy’ she said.
However, Enatoli disclosed that the management of the bar have told journalists in Delhi that it will not tender an apology since nothing ‘wrong’ was committed. Enatoli said if the bar refuses to tender an apology then the matter will be fought in the court and even take up the matter with the National human Rights Commission and the National Minorities Commission.
Enatoli also disclosed that the national news channel, NDTV is doing a story on the matter which will be telecast on Wednesday on its regular feature, ‘Verdict’ in which the opinions of some concerned Naga people in Delhi are to be featured.
The Naga Lawyers Guild is a group formed by a group of advocates with the objective of representing the people of northeast and the Nagas in particular and also the public during times of need, Enatoli informed.
An editor of a publishing house, who is a south Indian lady was with the victim on that night. Requesting not to be named, she categorically termed the whole incident as “the worst kind of discrimination” and said to have been devastated that such an incident would happen in a nation that claims to be the world’s largest democracy.
Confessing that she has a lot of friend from the northeast region, the Editor said that she was angry Thursday night when her friend was not allowed into the lounge bar because she did not have the “right profile”. The Editor lamented that when the northeast is being tried to be integrated into the country, such kind of incident would alienate them more.
Advocate Enatoli Sema, representing the victim, disclosed that the Editor was the one who took a lot of initiative in motivating Naga Lawyers Guild to take up the matter, and at the same time acknowledged the role played by the Editor of the publishing house in rendering support to the people of northeast in the capital.
It may be noted, that discrimination of people from remote northeaster region in mainland India, especially Delhi has been a regular feature for the past many years.
If you like this article Share it and spread the word!
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