M.P. Nathanael | We Must Educate People All Across India Of Realities About Northeast

Two women from Manipur who were walking near a park at Saket in New Delhi on March 8 were subjected to racial innuendos by four teenagers. When they objected to such racial slurs, the men assaulted one of them with a belt, causing minor injuries. On a complaint by them, the police registered a case against the miscreants and arrested them the following day.

Earlier, three young women from Arunachal Pradesh were rebuked, casting slurs on their racial appearance by a couple in Malviya Nagar in New Delhi on February 20 this year. The three, residing in a rented fourth floor flat, had called an electrician to install an air-conditioner. Due to drilling in the wall, the debris fell on the ground, which was objected to by the couple. Despite the trio apologising and assuring them of getting the debris removed, the couple passed derogatory comments on them. Unable to bear the humiliation, the girls lodged a complaint with the police with video recordings as incontrovertible evidence. Traumatised by the bitter experience, one of them, preparing for the civil services examination left for Arunachal Pradesh.

Five days later, the abusive couple — Harsh Singh and Ruby Jain — were booked under various sections of the BNS and under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Protection of Atrocities) Act and arrested and subsequently let off on bail.

On February 22, a resident doctor hailing from Nagaland and serving in AIIMS Gorakhpur was returning from a mall to her hostel in the hospital campus when she was accosted by three miscreants on a motorcycle who not only passed obscene gestures at her but also touched her inappropriately. She walked back to the hostel 1 km away. On her complaint, the three were arrested.

These are just a few of the incidents reported in recent days. Umpteen such cases of racist slurs against those from the northeastern states is almost a daily occurrence, especially with women, many of whom choose to ignore these rather than going to the police station to lodge a complaint, and thereafter visiting the police stations and the courts till the accused are convicted. The apprehension that they may not get the desired response at the police stations deters many from lodging complaints. Studies indicate 86 per cent of Northeast Indians face racial discrimination in metro cities.

When boys from the Northeast are confronted by miscreants, they tend to react, which at times end up in violent incidents, resulting in the loss of life, as had happened with Anjel Chakma in Dehradun on December 9 last, and with Nido Tania in a New Delhi market on January 30, 2014, when both of them, from Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh respectively, lost their lives in the violence perpetrated by the goons.

With no concrete action taken against criminals, the youngsters from the Northeast continue to live in fear in major towns like Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai and Delhi. While most prefer to ignore the racial slurs, some take on the criminals when harassment exceeds levels of tolerance. A fracas gets blown into violence, leading to death, as the youth from the plains pounce in hordes on the few who dared to challenge the criminals. Unsurprisingly, no one comes to their rescue when they cry out for help.

After Nido Tania’s death, the government set up the Bezbaruah Committee to study the menace and give recommendations to tackle the issue. Following an in-depth study, the Bezbaruah Committee charted out several recommendations, which though worthwhile have not been fully implemented. As usual, the recommendations were sent to the states and the matter ended.

The committee recommended the need to create awareness about the Northeast among people in the rest of the country, apart from strict and deterrent action by the police and the judiciary against those who pass racial innuendos.

Suitable legislative measures by way of inclusion of offences against the northeastern people was recommended, but it was ignored in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Offences of pejorative comments be made cognisable and non-bailable, investigations to be completed in 60 days and trials within 90 days are the other suggestions offered to contain the malaise. Sadly, the implementation is lacking.

Despite the harassment and racial comments, the migration of people from the Northeast, particularly those in the 20-40 age group, to the metro cities, continues unabated. According to a study, 4,14,850 people migrated to the metro cities between 2005 and 2010 and over 10,000 continue to move out every year from the Northeast. Among those who migrated, 85 per cent were for higher studies and 15 per cent for better job opportunities, with a large number preferring Bengaluru and New Delhi. At present, about 15 lakh reside in Delhi and NCR.

The Union home ministry recently directed all NCR cities to post nodal officers to attend to the grievances of people from the Northeast. Delhi has an officer of the rank of joint commissioner, while in Gurgaon, a DCP is the nodal officer.

For a better understanding of the culture and lifestyle of the Northeast, trips need to be organised by schools and colleges to the Northeast region. Exchange programmes of NCC cadets from the Northeast to other parts of the country, and vice versa, will strengthen camaraderie among the people.

NCERT had published a book, North East India: People, History and Culture, covering all eight states, including Sikkim, which is quite informative. The book should be prescribed for all middle-class students to have an insight into that part of our nation. Students need to be made aware of the legal and penal consequences of passing derogatory racial comments on the people from the Northeast.

The writer is a retired CRPF IGP who has served in the Northeast for over a decade