Every year a large number of people from the
Northeastern region move towards other states of India for better opportunities
– be it in sectors like education or employment. Amongst others, Delhi
continues to be a favourite destination. It continues to have a large
population from the region. But sadly the cosmopolitan nature of the city faces
a stark contrast from the intolerant behavior of many local residents. The
ancient city of Delhi has local residents who came here less than half a
century ago with the backdrop of partition. These relatively new inhabitants
are suspicious of the newcomers who try to make the city home.
Over the years the number of people from Northeast
coming to Delhi has increased, hence amplifying the problems that these people
face in the city. Being visibly different, these people often face discrimination
at multiple levels. Racial profiling in India on an everyday basis is anything
but common. People who travel from one city to another are often at the
receiving end. People from the Northeastern part of the country who have
Mongoloid features and belong to a different racial stock face it on a regular
basis. Ironically most of us believe that racism as a phenomenon exists only in
the West in which we Indians are the victims. Be it the case of students facing
racist violence in Australia or our Diplomat Devyani Khobragade being charged
with committing visa fraud or our film stars being detained in airports. These
acts no doubt need to be condemned, but what about back home?
Internal immigrants who often travel to other cities
for employment regularly face racist jibes. In Mumbai, where nativist politics
is strong, people from outside have been targeted on a regular basis. Be it
Muslims, people from the Hindi heartland or from southern part of India. Racial
prejudice has often had violent manifestations. In public transport, educational
institutions or workplace, Northeastern people feel that they are discriminated
because of their different features, hair style, dressing sense and language. A
moral judgment is inherent in statements like women from Northeast are broad
minded. Such connotation renders women from Northeast more vulnerable. People
have this mentality that they can do any wrong to these people and get away
with it. No wonder how local people in a busy market could beat Nido Taniam to
fatally wound him. Similarly last year a phd student from IIT Delhi burnt a
girl from the region to death who did not accept his advances. Instances of
sporadic violence against Northeastern people continue.
Racial profiling in India has been institutionalized
in many cases. Universities to curb substance abuse started working with the
students from Northeast assuming some essential connection between these people
and substance abuse, alchoholism etc. Delhi Police in 2007 gave special
guidelines to women hailing from the region to avoid sexual harassment. These
mainly read like moral code of conduct on how to dress in a dignified way, as
if the victims and not the perpetrators are responsible for sexual harassment.
Another incident was when people from Northeast was confused to be Tibetan and
picked up during the BRICS Summit. As if for some Indians, their national
identity is always under suspicion.
While such racism is banal and subtle, the day to
day ordeal is punctuated often by extreme and outrageous incidents. The
mysterious death of Loitam Richard in Bangalore, the murder of Ramchanphy
Hongray in New Delhi, the suicide by Dana Sangma and lastly the death of Nido
Taniam are some such incidents. Racism is felt and perceived but difficult to
prove like an invisible wound. So should we wait for such extreme tragedies to
address this issue?
Prejudice is perpetuated by ignorance about the
region and its cultures. People from Northeast are often asked which country
they are from. The idea of an Indian fails to encompass citizens from certain
parts of the country. There is a systemic exclusion of Northeast from the
imagination of people and it starts with the region and its history being
missing from prescribed school text books. The legacy of Ahom Kings or the
written history of Manipuri kings that go back to centuries is never a part of
mainstream academic discourse.
People from the region have to fight for acceptance
on an everyday basis. What starts with students struggling to find
accommodation, goes on to harassment at work places, lewd advances and remarks
from passersby, often leading to violent outbursts. Preconceived ideas are
often negative. There is a psychological absence of the region. Our policy
makers have done nothing to bridge the gap. To escape from this discrimination
people end up socializing only with members from the same community furthering
the social distance. Studies give figures which back the presence of widespread
discrimination. A study by North East Support Centre and Helpline points out
that 78.75% of those interviewed have faced discrimination at some point or
other.
But are only people from Northeast targeted in
Delhi? A recent case where the Delhi Law Minister rounded up women from Uganda
and accused them of being involved in a racket of drugs and trafficking show
how African nationals are discriminated against. Everyone from south is
referred to as Madrasis. There is a denial of respect to different cultures.
All these point out to the failure of a cosmopolitan city in tackling
diversity. At the same time people from Northeast who have travelled to and
lived in the southern cities of India like Bangalore, Chennai found the local people
to be more supportive and accepting than the capital.
Incidents like the tragic death of Nido must make us
introspect on the day to day racism that some of us perpetrate and some of us
face. We need to start with accepting that racial discrimination exists and
many unintended actions might emanate from it. Instead of taking a moral high
ground and getting entangled in specificities like how people dress up or
behave in a particular way, some foreigners may be involved in illicit trades,
sexual prudence in some communities are different, we must start addressing
prejudices in our backyards. There is a need to ensure communication amongst
cultures and bridge the social gap that exists. This may be a good place to
start fighting the problem which is based o sheer ignorance of the plural
culture and history of the country which handicaps us from accepting and
celebrating difference.
(This article was first published in The Assam Tribune on 21st March, 2014)
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