Racism against NE people: A Raging debate
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: May 14, 2012 -

Despite the loss, the death of Richard Loitam and Dana Sangma, as we have said through this column earlier, was not in vain. Their deaths have spawned a raging debate over the issue of alleged racial discrimination against people hailing from North Eastern part of India in other parts of the country.

It is a debate, whose date, in fact, is overdue. Interestingly, most Indians including political bigwigs have been hypersensitive to any racial slur, real as well as imaginary, they may face abroad.

But the same people have been oblivious to even more frequent and insulting incidents of racial discrimination not just against the people of Northeast but also to other groups back home.

Amid widespread protest and ongoing investigations into several cases of alleged racial discrimination against Northeast students in other parts of India, the assertion of Union Minister of State for Rural Development Agatha Sangma that racial discrimination against people from the north-east is a reality that required immediate attention and strict action and the revelation, "I may have my share of experiences what one can call racial discrimination", came down as a bombshell.

But the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Union Home Minister P Chidambaram have been rather quick in their denial of 'racism in India and institutionalised discrimination against the people hailing from the northeast' with assurance for 'zero tolerance' for crimes against people from Northeast.

But the fact still stands that India itself is a worst racist country and non-acceptance or denial of racial discrimination faced not just by the Northeasterners but also by other Indians within the country is another form of racial discrimination.

To state simply, racism is nothing but treating someone differently or unfairly simply because they belong to a different race or culture and any crime committed against someone because of their race is classed as a 'racially aggravated' or 'racially motivated' offence.

One does not have be necessarily attacked physically to be a victim of racism, using threatening or abusive language to degrade someone on the basis of their origin itself constitute hate crime. In other parts of the world, racism is a serious matter that could even make or unmake a government.

In America, an American remains an American to himself and others and nothing more than that. Likewise, a native of England is always an Englishman and that Japan a Japanese.

But in India, one's identity is determined by others. You are either a Panju, Madrassi, Bong, Mallu, Gujju or a Chinky, depending on the places you come from. The picture of an Indian citizen in its entirety is not to be seen anywhere and the slogan of 'unity in diversity' sounds so hollow.

The inherent contradictions within Indian society and the resultant prejudices, biasness and discrimination against anyone who looks different, lives differently and speaks a different language is so obvious that it is unfortunate that Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Union Home Minister P Chidambaram took to denial mode rather than accepting the truth.

Like others who are at the receiving end of racism, discrimination against the Northeasterners is metropolitan cities of the country is not a myth but a reality. Even if the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister have closed their eyes and ears, we just hope their advisors are up all eyes and ears to the raging debate.