Guwahati: The Central government on Tuesday said no centralised data is maintained on incidents of “hate speech, racial slurs, harassment and discrimination” against people from the Northeast, while reiterating that policing and public order fall under the jurisdiction of state governments.
Responding to a question by Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said the responsibility for prevention, detection, registration and investigation of crimes, as well as prosecution of offenders, rests with the states.
He noted that “police” and “public order” are state subjects under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, and are handled by state law enforcement agencies.
Rai said the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) compiles and publishes crime data submitted by states and Union Territories in its annual Crime in India reports, which are currently available up to 2023. However, he clarified that incidents specifically involving hate speech or racial discrimination against people from the Northeast are not maintained as a separate category at the central level.
The Minister added that existing legal provisions allow action against hate speech, racial abuse and discriminatory conduct, including those targeting individuals from the Northeast.
He also outlined steps taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs to address such concerns. These include issuing advisories to states and Union Territories, appointing nodal officers to handle grievances, and sensitising law enforcement agencies.
In addition, initiatives such as the Special Police Unit for North East Region (SPUNER) under the Delhi Police, along with dedicated helplines and email-based grievance mechanisms, have been put in place to assist victims.
Rai further said that a three-member monitoring committee, constituted following a Supreme Court direction, periodically reviews issues related to racial discrimination and grievance redressal concerning people from the Northeast residing in different parts of the country.