PM seeks harsh punishment in Nido case

Even as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Friday that “severest punishment” should be given to those guilty of killing Nido Taniam, the Delhi Police brutally caned North-East students who were marching towards the Rashtrapati Bhavan to demand justice.

“I associate myself with your deep sense of sorrow on Nido Taniam’s tragic demise. I have no words to express my feelings,”  Singh told Nido’s parents when they met him on Friday.

Nineteen-year-old Nido died after he was  beaten up by some shopkeepers at Lajpat Nagar last month. “What has happened is most shameful and it should never have happened. The severest punishment under the law should be meted out to those found guilty,” he said.

After the 30-minute meeting, the victim’s father Nido Pavitra told reporters that they had presented a memorandum comprising 10 demands to the prime minister.
“He has agreed to the demands,” said Pavitra, who is a Congress MLA in Arunachal Pradesh.

Nido’s father and mother Marina have demanded capital punishment for the killers and urged the government to declare January 30 as ‘National Anti-Racism Day’ besides installing a statue in memory of their son in Delhi.

He said that Singh has also assured security of North-Eastern students in Delhi.
“The prime minister is very concerned about Nido’s case. He is also concerned for the north-eastern people,” he added.

The delegation also sought action against police officials who allegedly had refused to register an FIR.

Meanwhile, scores of protesting North-Eastern students and those from the JNU who were demanding justice for Nido were lathicharged by the police at Vijay Chowk when they tried to march towards the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The demonstrators, who were protesting at Jantar Mantar, marched towards the seat of power at around 2 pm but were stopped by the police at Vijay Chowk. Policemen chased the protesters till the Central Secretariat Metro Station and Rafi Marg, thrashing them brutally.