The recipient of several national and international accolades, Robin Hibu – the first Indian Police Service (IPS) officer from Arunachal Pradesh is tirelessly working to make cities a safer place for the people of Northeast Indians through his non-profit organization – Helping Hands.
The organization is also supporting helpless citizens in cities by performing last rites and funeral services. One such recent case was with the tragic death of an Arunachal Pradesh youth in Bangalore.
Through an official statement, Robin Hibu shared, “Of all retrievals of dead Northeast youth for burials in cities, recent incident of 22-year-old West Siang youth was working, whose body was lying at Bangalore hospital for days. Some of naive NE students from proximity Institute had reached out to me as last resort for honorable last rite and burial of this unfortunate dead youth. I reached to all my known Galo folks from West Siang but only Topin Ete, budding samaritan and advocate responded to me in connecting with one of the dead youth atleast to receive the coffin of their fellow Galo tribe youth from Lepa Rada district at Dibrugarh Aiport”.
“No words left to thanks Helping Hands Volunteers at Bangalore including Wing Commandeer KD Khaling and students Volunteers Logio Takey and D. Jiba who took care of the body lying at hospital in Banglaore. Also thankful to Banglaore police for all assistance. This is 297th dead bodies Helping Hands Volunteers has sent back their mortal remains to be buried in their villages. But this case was most painful to know when Police informed me about such helplessness like ‘lawaris,’” further added Robin Hibu.
Meanwhile, Robin Hibu also asserted about grants been collected by tribal/community organizations for the welfare of their communities, including scholarships, get-together, picnics, launch flamboyant calendars with their photos, conduct dance and singing competitions but leaves-out emergency situations.
Robin Hibu further urging the community at large said, “But my sincere request to all Northeast Community Organizations is to keep some reserve fund of their collected fund from their respective tribes or communities also for such emergencies (death, burials, cremations, emergency accidents, robbed in cities etc) cases of your tribe or communities youth who needs help even for dead bodies transportation back homes through Helping Hands. These youth have to migrate to cities under compulsion for jobs and studies as most these are not there back homes. To me its very painful and traumatic when I have run around and mobilize my students volunteers from all over India in different cities , somehow managed the fund etc for costs of flight tickets for mortal remains,coffin, ambulance, and embalming etc. Even I have to find out some tribe or community members for receiving the dead bodies at airport / burials/ cremations in cities. It’s still very fresh when another such unclaimed dead of Jorhat Assamese youth from Gurgaon cases are increasing day by day”.
He further appealed all Northeastern Communities/Tribal Organizations to join Helping hands for performing last rites of these helpless youth residing along cities of mainstream India.