NEW DELHI: The central government on Tuesday said that no centralised data is maintained on incidents of "hate speech, racial slurs, harassment and discrimination" against people from the Northeast, while pointing out that policing and public order fall under the domain of state governments.
Responding to a question by Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Home, Nityanand Rai, said states are responsible for prevention, detection, registration and investigation of crimes, and prosecution of offenders. "'Police' and 'Public Order' are state subjects as per the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India. The state governments are responsible for prevention, detection, registration and investigation of crime and for prosecuting the criminals through their law enforcement agencies," Rai said.
He said the National Crime Records Bureau compiles and publishes crime data received from states and union territories in its "Crime in India" reports, which are available till 2023. However, "data on incidents of hate speech, racial slurs, harassment and discrimination against persons from the North-Eastern States is not maintained centrally", the minister said.
He added that existing legal provisions enable action against hate comments, gestures and racial acts, including those targeting people from the Northeast. Rai also outlined steps taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs to address concerns related to safety and discrimination. These include advisories to states and UTs, appointment of nodal officers to handle grievances, and sensitisation of law enforcement agencies.
He said initiatives such as the Special Police Unit for North East Region (SPUNER) in Delhi Police, along with dedicated helplines and email IDs, have been introduced to facilitate complaint registration and support for victims. Rai also said a three-member monitoring committee, set up following a Supreme Court judgment, regularly reviews issues of racial discrimination and grievance redressal concerning people from the Northeast living in different parts of the country.