NEW DELHI, April 30 � Upset over the handling of the case of suicide of his niece, Meghalaya Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma has demanded a �stringent follow-up� of the case.
He called for a Central legislation setting out guidelines for addressing the issue of safety and security of students.
Addressing a press conference on Monday over the suicide of Dana Silva Sangma, who was found dead in her hostel room in Amity University�s Gurgaon campus following her alleged cheating during an exam, Sangma charged that there was �discrimination� against students from the North East and stressed on the need to sensitise on this issue.
The Chief Minister said he was at pains to explain that he was not raking up the issue just because she was his niece, saying he would have condemned and demanded stringent action if anyone from his State had been discriminated against.
�There have been lot of cases of atrocities against people from the North East. It goes against the spirit of the country. Stringent steps are needed to prevent recurrence of such incidents. These kind of cases should be disposed expeditiously,� he said.
He alleged that his niece was discriminated against and the invigilator, who caught her copying, wrote some adverse remarks against her in the answer sheet. �This case has to be expedited. This case has to be followed up stringently. These tragic instances should not happen again. This (suicide) case has given us an opportunity to demand appropriate legislation,� he said.
Sangma claimed that universities and institutions end up ignoring issues of safety and a balanced development of students due to their �mindless pursuit� of name and money.
