Desi Apartheid

  • Barnali Dutta / FG
  • India
  • Oct 25, 2014

 

 


The states in India’s North East – Assam, Arunachal Pradesh (formerly NEFA), Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura - are often referred as the Seven Sisters of our country (lately Sikkim has also been clubbed in this segment of Northeastern states). However, considering the treatment meted out to the people hailing from this region by the rest of us Indians, particularly in New Delhi and Bangalore, it seems that we do not even  consider them a part of our country or of us, let alone seeing them as  a family member. Seemingly  due to their ‘Mongoloid’ features, and certain ‘associated’ behaviour, the Northeasterners have often been viewed with contempt (if not hate) by a particular section of ‘mainstream’ Indians. They are ‘dismissed’ derisively as Chinks or Chinkies (something that even the  Chinese are not called today). Even the ladies are not spared, and are given anything but a ‘sisterly’ treatment. Their fairness, features and ‘modern’ dressing makes them ‘fair play’  for the locals. The men are often beaten up, though they will not be cowed down easily.  These aspects were also observed by the Additional Sessions Judge of Dwarka Court in  Delhi, Virender Bhat, while delivering the recent judgement in the Dhaula Kuan gang-rape  case, sentencing the five accused persons (incidentally belonging to Mewat, near Gurgaon) to life imprisonment. These beasts had raped a girl hailing from Mizoram, who had been working at the call centre of a  BPO in New Delhi. It is shocking that within this year itself, three such racial attacks have taken  place in Gurgaon. In the latest sickening episode, three young men from Nagaland, who were  working at a BPO, were attacked by some perverted locals at Ghosi village in the vicinity of  Sikanderpur. Around 100 people from the Northeastern states live in this village. The victims   were assaulted for a flimsy reason; they had refused to offer a round of drinks for the locals. 

They were assaulted with sticks and iron rods. It is alleged that among the half-a-dozen accused persons, Ram Bihari, Gaurav Yadav and Vijay Kumar had been most brutal, and had even issued a  daring threat to all the Northeasterners that they should vacate the locality. The victim who was most brutally beaten is residing with Rachubui Zaliagrong, Students’ President of North East. “The victim has come here to earn bread for his family, which consists of six members,” says  Rachubui. “This is not the first time we are facing such humiliation. There is neither a love story nor rivalry involved here, and still he has been insulted and beaten up. What does this mean? Why do they want us to leave? Since there are many call centers in Delhi and NCR we have come here to earn money. Some come to study. Why are only we treated as outsiders? Sometimes I feel that they are jealous of us. And of course communication is a  big problem. But that needs to be developed from both the sides.”  

On their part, the top brass of Haryana Police, including the DGP, have (again) rendered  Assurances to the people from the ‘Seven Sisters’ about their safety in Gurgaon. The Deputy Commissioner of Police for Gurgaon East, Nazneen Bhasin, has been assigned the  duty of  ‘nodal officer’ for the Northeasterners – to help to check crime against them. However, most of the families still live in fear of unexpected racial attacks. Sharing his anxiety, one of the Northeasterners, Romio, says, “We are Indians, and we have a right to be treated equally.  Unfortunately, the Northeast is ‘ignored’ in almost every text at school; it is time NCERT  rectified this. We may be geographically close to China, but we are Indians – just like many others in border hill states.  We also want the government to do more for the development of our States, so that more of us can study there and get local jobs.” Other than tea estates, a couple of oil refineries and a cement plant, there is hardly any major industry in the North East. Voicing her views on this scenario, Jayshree Sarkar, a Bengali architect who was born and  brought up in Arunachal Pradesh, says, “I cherish my days spent in that evergreen valley.  Yes, like in many parts of India, there is a lack of infrastructure and education and health  facilities.” However, she also has a word of caution for the people hailing from the North East. “They also need to realise that they often unfairly blame the Centre for every shortcoming in  their States.” On tackling the root causes of crime against people of the North East, Union  Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijju, who belongs to Arunachal Pradesh,  stated that the government would no more tolerate ‘hate or racial crimes’. In February a  committee, headed by M P Bezbaruah, had been constituted by the central government,  to address the concerns of the people from the North East residing in various parts of India.  This was consequent to the fatal racial attack on Nido Tania, a youth from Arunachal  Pradesh, at Lajpat Nagar in New Delhi. It had prompted the poser: ‘Where’ve all the  Indians gone’? Do we now need PM Modi to make us realise our civic and social  duties to our own countrymen (and women)?

 


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