UN: more than 1.5 million have fled Ukraine
Berlin (AP): The head of the United Nations' refugee agency says that more than 1.5 million refugees have crossed from Ukraine into neighbouring countries since Russia invaded.
Filippo Grandi, the UN high commissioner for refugees, tweeted on Sunday that it is the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.
His agency didn't immediately give a more precise update on the refugee figures. Grandi is visiting countries that border Ukraine.
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NESO demands capital punishment for those responsible for killing Tripura student in Dehradun
Shillong (PTI): The North East Students' Organisation (NESO) on Tuesday demanded capital punishment for those responsible for the killing of a 24-year-old student from Tripura in Dehradun and sought the direct intervention of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in the matter.
The NESO is an umbrella organisation of student organisations from all north eastern states.
In a memorandum to the Uttarakhand chief minister, NESO said Angel Chakma was assaulted and stabbed in Dehradun on December 9 and succumbed to his injuries on December 26 after battling for life for over two weeks in hospital.
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His brother, Michael Chakma, was also assaulted during the incident, it said.
The NESO alleged that the attack was racially motivated, with the victims subjected to derogatory and demeaning racial abuse targeting their physical features.
Such incidents, it alleged, were part of a recurring pattern of harassment and violence faced by people from the north east in different parts of the country.
Seeking urgent steps to ensure the safety of students and residents from the region in Dehradun and across Uttarakhand, the NESO urged the state government to implement effective measures to provide mental, social, and physical security through appropriate authorities.
Apart from capital punishment for the perpetrators, the organisation demanded the establishment of at least one special police station to deal exclusively with cases of racial discrimination and atrocities against people from the north east.
NESO also called for the enactment of a stringent anti-racism law, saying the existing legal framework was inadequate to address crimes rooted in racial and ethnic discrimination.
The organisation said it hoped for immediate action from the Uttarakhand government to ensure justice and prevent recurrence of such incidents.
