The Supreme Court has passed a number of directions, including setting up of a panel, to enhance a sense of security and inclusion of the people from north-eastern states who face racial violence and hate crimes. <br/><br/>The panel, to be headed by a Joint Secretary-level officer, has been given powers ranging from ensuring strict action in incidents of racial discrimination, racial atrocities and racial violence and also suggesting measures to curb them.<br/><br/>The court also directed the government to implement MP Bezbaruah committee's suggestion for effective monitoring mechanism. The court stressed that mindsets have to be changed as involvement of the law enforcement machinery is alone not sufficient to resolve the problem.<br/><br/>The court, however, refrained from passing any direction on the proposal for amending the Indian Penal Code and said it is the union government which should decide whether the law should be amended.<br/><br/>The apex court pronounced the verdict while disposing of the petition, filed in 2014, by one Karma Dorjee and others following several incidents of hate crimes in Delhi against persons hailing from the northeast.<br/><br/>The Bezbaruah panel was set up by the Home Ministry in February, 2014 in the wake of attacks on the people from the Northeast in Delhi and other parts of the country – including the death of Nido Tania, a student from Arunachal Pradesh.<br/>

The Supreme Court has passed a number of directions, including setting up of a panel, to enhance a sense of security and inclusion of the people from north-eastern states who face racial violence and hate crimes. <br/><br/>The panel, to be headed by a Joint Secretary-level officer, has been given powers ranging from ensuring strict action in incidents of racial discrimination, racial atrocities and racial violence and also suggesting measures to curb them.<br/><br/>The court also directed the government to implement MP Bezbaruah committee's suggestion for effective monitoring mechanism. The court stressed that mindsets have to be changed as involvement of the law enforcement machinery is alone not sufficient to resolve the problem.<br/><br/>The court, however, refrained from passing any direction on the proposal for amending the Indian Penal Code and said it is the union government which should decide whether the law should be amended.